Samajwadi Party

Template:Short description Template:Use Indian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox Indian Political Party Template:Socialism sidebar The Samajwadi Party (Template:Small SP; Template:Literal translation) is a socialist political party in India.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica"/> It was founded on 4 October 1992 by former Janata Dal politician Mulayam Singh Yadav and is headquartered in New Delhi. It is the third-largest political party in India, and is led by former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav.<ref name="The Hindu">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Hindu Business Line">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Indian Express">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

While the party is largely based in Uttar Pradesh,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> it has significant presence in many other Indian states as well. It has been the ruling party in the state of Uttar Pradesh for four terms – three times under Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, the fourth and most recent being Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's full majority government in the 2012–2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

The coalition of the party and its alliance partners: Samajwadi Alliance SP+ is currently the largest bloc in Uttar Pradesh in terms of Lok Sabha MPs. The alliance has one of the largest vote bases in the state of Uttar Pradesh in terms of the collective voting pattern, with more than 37% vote share in the 2022 assembly elections and 44% in the 2024 general elections.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Verification needed

History

File:Party symbolism - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg

In Mumbai, a supporter of the Samajwadi Party carries a bicycle, which is the symbol featured on the socialist party's flag.

The Samajwadi Party was one of several parties that emerged when Janata Dal fragmented into several regional parties.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The party was founded by Mulayam Singh Yadav in 1992.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Created just months before the Babri Masjid demolition, the party rose to power by pursuing secular politics. The support of its key voters, Other Backward Classes and Muslims helped the party become a major political force in Uttar Pradesh.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In West Bengal, the West Bengal Socialist Party of Kiranmoy Nanda merged with the SP in 2010. The Samajwadi Party is now led by former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav.

He was chosen as the President for the first time in an Emergency meeting in 2017. He was chosen for second time in 2017 at Agra Convention of Samajwadi Party. He was chosen for the third time at the party's national convention held in September 2022 at Lucknow,<ref name="The Hindu"/><ref name="Hindu Business Line"/><ref name="Indian Express"/> after he was chosen as the President at the party's national convention held on 1 January 2017.

The party have contested Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections around the country, but by far the bulk of its victories have been in Uttar Pradesh. In the 2012 legislative assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh, SP registered a landslide victory with a clear majority in the house, thus enabling it to form a government in the state. This was expected to be the fifth term of Mulayam Singh Yadav as Chief Minister of state, but he selected his son, Akhilesh Yadav instead. This became official on 15 March. It was also the first time that SP was head of the UP government for a full term of five years.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, the party suffered a landslide defeat in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly Election, slumping to only 47 seats as the Bharatiya Janata Party swept to victory. The major loss of Samajwadi Party was attributed to several factors, most notably being corruption, several political controversies, deteriorating law and order, and insensitive comments on rape as well as anti-women views.

National Convention of January 2017

In a National Convention held on 1 January 2017, called by Ram Gopal Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav was appointed as president of the Party for 5 years.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Position in state and national politics

Alliance

UPA

The Samajwadi Party provided outside support to the United Progressive Alliance government up to the fourteenth general election. After the fourteenth general election, its support became unnecessary when the UPA became the largest alliance. It contested the 2009 general election in alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Lok Janshakti Party of Bihar.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In April 2014, the Save Indian Family Foundation encouraged voters to support the Samajwadi Party or vote None of the above because they had said they opposed the alleged misuse of gender bias laws.<ref name="misuse">Template:Cite news</ref>

SP-BSP Alliance

In 2019 general election, the Samajwadi Party was defeated by the BJP in Uttar Pradesh though allying with Bahujan Samaj Party.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It became the thirteenth largest party in parliament.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the general elections of 2019, it won only five seats, while the BSP won 10.

INDIA

Recently, Samajwadi Party joined the newly formed Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance(I.N.D.I.A) formed as an umbrella alliance of opposition parties in India.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In the 2024 Indian general election, the Samajwadi Party achieved a historic breakthrough by winning 37 seats, making it the third-largest party in the 18th Lok Sabha. In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party contested the elections in alliance with the Indian National Congress. Together, they secured 43 out of the 80 seats in the state, marking a significant gain for the INDIA Alliance.

Presence in state assemblies

The SP has two MLAs in Maharashtra and one MLA in the 2022 Gujarat assembly election.

Samajwadi Prahari and Samajwadi Sanwad

Under the guidance of Kailash Chaurasia, who was the Minister of State in the Government of Uttar Pradesh and under the direction of Dr.Arvind Srivastava, Shri Shivendra Nandan <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> made the formal announcement of the formation of Samajwadi Sentinel and in this sequence, Samajwadi Samvad to put forward the public's views. He reportedly cited the fight for equal rights for all races and issues related to inequality in youth-related matters as the main issues presented. The Samajwadi Party has front line campaigning groups.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ongoing debate on party policy comes from many of their leaders. Among them are:

1. Chhatra Sabha Sanwad
2. Yuvjan Sabha Sanwad
3. Samajwadi prahari Sanwad
4. Mulayam Singh Youth Brigade Sanwad
5. Lohiya Vahini Sanwad
6. Shikshak Sabha Sanwad
7. Vyapar Sabha Sanwad
8. Adhivakta Sabha Sanwad
9. Ambedkar Vahini Samwad

Electoral performances

Lok Sabha Elections

style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|Lok Sabha Term	style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|Lok Sabha	style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|Seats contested	style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|Seats won	style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|% of votes	style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|State (seats)	style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|Ref
11th Lok Sabha	1996	111	Template:Composition bar compact	3.3%	Uttar Pradesh (16), Bihar (1)	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
12th Lok Sabha	1998	166	Template:Composition bar compact	4.9%	Uttar Pradesh (19)	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
13th Lok Sabha	1999	151	Template:Composition bar compact	3.8%	Uttar Pradesh (26)	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
14th Lok Sabha	2004	237	Template:Composition bar compact	4.3%	Uttar Pradesh (35), Uttarakhand (1)	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
15th Lok Sabha	2009	193	Template:Composition bar compact	3.4%	Uttar Pradesh (23)	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
16th Lok Sabha	2014	197	Template:Composition bar compact	3.4%	Uttar Pradesh (5)	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
17th Lok Sabha	2019	49	Template:Composition bar compact	2.6%	Uttar Pradesh (5)	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
18th Lok Sabha	2024	62	Template:Composition bar compact	4.58%	Uttar Pradesh (37)	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Assembly Elections

style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|Vidhan Sabha Term	style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|UP Elections	style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|Seats contested	style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|Seats won	style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|% of votes	style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|Party Votes	style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|Ref
Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly
12th Vidhan Sabha	1993	256	Template:Composition bar compact	17.94%	8,963,697	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
13th Vidhan Sabha	1996	281	Template:Composition bar compact	21.80%	12,085,226	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
14th Vidhan Sabha	2002	390	Template:Composition bar compact	25.37%	13,612,509	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
15th Vidhan Sabha	2007	393	Template:Composition bar compact	25.43%	13,267,674	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
16th Vidhan Sabha	2012	401	Template:Composition bar compact	29.15%	22,107,241	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
17th Vidhan Sabha	2017	311	Template:Composition bar compact	21.82%	18,923,689	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
18th Vidhan Sabha	2022	347	Template:Composition bar compact	32.06%	29,543,934	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly
11th Vidhan Sabha	1998	228	Template:Composition bar compact	1.58%	419,626	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
12th Vidhan Sabha	2003	161	Template:Composition bar compact	3.71%	946,891	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
13th Vidhan Sabha	2008	187	Template:Composition bar compact	1.90%	501,324	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
14th Vidhan Sabha	2013	161	Template:Composition bar compact	1.2%	404,853	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
15th Vidhan Sabha	2018	52	Template:Composition bar compact	1.3%	496,025	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
16th Vidhan Sabha	2023	71	Template:Composition bar compact	0.46%	200,069
Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
9th Vidhan Sabha	1995	22	Template:Composition bar compact	0.93%	356,731	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
10th Vidhan Sabha	1999	15	Template:Composition bar compact	0.7%	227,640	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
11th Vidhan Sabha	2004	95	Template:Composition bar compact	1.13%	471,425	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
12th Vidhan Sabha	2009	31	Template:Composition bar compact	1.11%	337,378	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
13th Vidhan Sabha	2014	22	Template:Composition bar compact	0.17%	92,304	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
14th Vidhan Sabha	2019	7	Template:Composition bar compact	0.22%	123,267	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
15th Vidhan Sabha	2024	9	Template:Composition bar compact	0.38%	246,350	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

List of chief ministers

Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | No.	Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Name Template:Small	colspan=2 Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Term of office<ref name=CM>Chief Ministers. Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Retrieved on 27 July 2013.</ref><ref>President's rule. Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Retrieved on 27 July 2013.</ref>	Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Tenure length	Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | PartyTemplate:Efn	Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Assembly<ref>Date of Constitution & Dissolution of Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Template:Webarchive. Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Retrieved on 27 July 2013.</ref> Template:Small	Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Ref
1	Mulayam Singh Yadav Template:Small	4 December 1993	3 June 1995	Template:Age in years and days	Samajwadi Party	Twelfth Assembly (1993–95) Template:Small	<ref name=":1">"Statistical Report on General Election, 2002, to the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh" [pdf]. Election Commission of India. Retrieved on 28 July 2013.</ref>
(1)	Mulayam Singh Yadav Template:Small	29 August 2003	13 May 2007	Template:Age in years and days	Samajwadi Party	Fourteenth Assembly (2002–07) Template:Small	<ref name=":1" />
2	Akhilesh Yadav Template:Small	15 March 2012	19 March 2017	Template:Age in years and days	Samajwadi Party	Sixteenth Assembly (2012–17) Template:Small	<ref>"Statistical Report on General Election, 2012, to the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh" [pdf]. Election Commission of India. Retrieved on 28 July 2013.</ref>

List of union ministers

Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|No.	Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|Photo	Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|Portfolio	Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|Name (Lifespan)	Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|Assumed office	Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|Left office	Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|Duration	Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|Constituency (House)	rowspan=2 colspan=2 Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white"|[[Prime Minister of India|Template:White]]
1	File:Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Shri.Mulayam Singh Yadav , addressing at the National Development Council, New Delhi on December 9, 2006 (cropped).jpg	Minister of Defence	Mulayam Singh Yadav (1939Template:Ndash2022)	1 June 1996	21 April 1997	Template:Ayd	Mainpuri (Lok Sabha)	Deve Gowda	Template:Party color cell
				21 April 1997	18 March 1998			I.K. Gujral	Template:Party color cell
2	File:Beni Prasad Verma (cropped).jpg	Minister of Communications (Template:Abbr until 10 July 1996)	Beni Prasad Verma (1941Template:Ndash2020)	29 June 1996	21 April 1997	Template:Ayd	Kaiserganj (Lok Sabha)	Deve Gowda	Template:Party color cell
				21 April 1997	19 March 1998			I.K. Gujral	Template:Party color cell
		Minister of Communications (Template:Abbr)		1 June 1996	29 June 1996	Template:Ayd		Deve Gowda	rowspan="2" Template:Party color cell
		Minister of Parliamentary Affairs (Template:Abbr)
3	File:No image available.svg	Minister of Health and Family Welfare [[[:Template:Abbr]]]	Saleem Iqbal Shervani (born 1953)	29 June 1996	21 April 1997	Template:Ayd	Badaun (Lok Sabha)	Deve Gowda	Template:Party color cell
				21 April 1997	9 June 1997			I.K. Gujral	Template:Party color cell
		Minister of Health and Family Welfare (Template:Abbr)		1 June 1996	29 June 1996	Template:Ayd		Deve Gowda	Template:Party color cell
		Minister of External Affairs (Template:Abbr)		9 June 1997	19 March 1998	Template:Ayd		I.K. Gujral	Template:Party color cell
4	File:No image available.svg	Minister of Water Resource	Janeshwar Mishra (1933Template:Ndash2010)	29 June 1996	21 April 1997	Template:Ayd	Uttar Pradesh (Rajya Sabha)	Deve Gowda	Template:Party color cell
				21 April 1997	9 June 1997			I.K. Gujral	rowspan="2" Template:Party color cell
		Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas		9 June 1997	19 March 1998	Template:Ayd

Prominent members

• Mulayam Singh Yadav, founder and former President of Samajwadi Party, former Defence minister of India and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Former Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh up.gov.in.</ref>

• Akhilesh Yadav, President of Samajwadi Party and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Azam Khan, Member of Parliament, 9 time MLA, Member of Parliament Loksabha Rampur former cabinet minister of Uttar Pradesh and former Member of Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• Janeshwar Mishra, former cabinet minister, Government of India. Former Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha.
• Shivpal Singh Yadav, Former State President of Samajwadi Party, Member of Legislative Assembly from Jaswantnagar – 6th term, Former Cabinet Minister(UP Govt.), Former Leader of Opposition
• Beni Prasad Verma, former Union Cabinet Minister of India<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Awadhesh Prasad, General Secretary of Samajwadi Party, Former Cabinet Minister of Uttar Pradesh, founding member
• Anantram Jaiswal former Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Minister and Samajwadi Ideologist, Founding member
• Kiranmoy Nanda, Vice President of Samajwadi Party
• Naresh Uttam Patel, Former Uttar Pradesh State president of Samajwadi Party.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Professor Ram Gopal Yadav, Party Leader in Rajya Sabha
• Jaya Bachchan, Indian actress and Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Ram Govind Chaudhary, Leader of opposition in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Indrajit Saroj, National General Secretary, Deputy Leader of Opposition in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Balram Yadav, 5 times elected as Member of Legislative Assembly from Atraulia Assembly constituency and 4 times as Member of Legislative Council, Former Cabinet Minister (UP Govt.), He is prominent leader in purvanchal( Eastern Uttar Pradesh).
• Sanjay Lathar, Leader of Opposition in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.
• Dr. Sangram Yadav, 3 times Member of the Legislative Assembly (India) from Atraulia Assembly constituency and Whip/sachetak of Samajwadi party vidhan mandal dal.
• Abu Asim Azmi, Samajwadi Party Maharashtra state President, Member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and former Member of Rajya Sabha.
• Mohan Singh, former Member of Parliament Rajya Sabha
• Harendra Singh Malik, former MP Rajya Sabha, prominent Jat leader from Western Uttar Pradesh.
• Pankaj Kumar Malik, MLA from Charthawal Assembly Seat.
• Vishambhar Prasad Nishad, Samajwadi Party General Secretary, Rajya Sabha MP, former Member of Lok Sabha, and former Cabinet Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
• Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, Prominent Sikh leader and former cabinet minister of Uttar Pradesh.
• Anand Singh, leader, ex 5 time MP and MLA from Gonda district, and former Cabinet Minister of Agriculture from Uttar Pradesh Government, under Akhilesh Yadav from 2012 to 2014.

State leadership

• Abu Asim Azmi: Maharashtra
• Shyamlal Pal: Uttar Pradesh
• Dr.Manoj Yadav: Madhya Pradesh
• Satyanarayan Sachan: Uttarakhand
• Manjappa Yadav: Karnataka
• Devendra Upadhyaya: Gujarat
• Manas Bhattacharya: West Bengal
• Mukesh Yadav: Rajasthan
• Sukhvinder Singh: Punjab
• Dr Saji Pothen Thomas: Kerala
• B Jagadeesh Yadav: Andhra Pradesh
• Om Prakash Sahu:Chhattisgarh

See also

• List of political parties in India
• Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance
• PDA (PICHDA DALIT ALPSANKHYAK)[1]

External links

• Template:Official website