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Bahujan Samaj Party

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Bahujan Samaj Party
AbbreviationBSP
PresidentMayawati[1]
General Secretary
Rajya Sabha LeaderRamji Gautam
FounderKanshi Ram
Founded14 April 1984 (40 years ago) (1984-04-14)
Preceded byDalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti
Headquarters12, Gurudwara Rakabganj Road, New Delhi, India-110001
NewspaperBahujan Samaj Bulletin
IdeologySocial justice[3]
Self-Respect[3]
Colours  Blue
ECI StatusNational Party
AllianceBSP+SAD (2022–2023)
BSP+GGP (2023–2024)
BSP+INLD (2023–)
Seats in Lok Sabha
0 / 543
Seats in Rajya Sabha
1 / 245
Seats in State Legislative Assembly
3 / 4,036
List
1 / 70
(Uttarakhand)
1 / 117
(Punjab)
1 / 403
(Uttar Pradesh)
Seats in State Legislative Council
0 / 426
Number of states and union territories in government
0 / 31
Election symbol
Website
bahujansamajparty.net

The Bahujan Samaj Party (abbr. BSP) is a political party in India that was formed to represent Bahujans (literally means "community in majority"), referring to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes (OBC), along with religious minorities.[4] According to Kanshi Ram, when he founded the party in 1984, the Bahujans comprised 85 percent of India's population, but were divided into 6,000 different castes.[5][6] The party claims to be inspired by the philosophy of B. R. Ambedkar, Jyotiba Phule, Narayana Guru, Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj, and Gautama Buddha.

Kanshi Ram named his protégée, Mayawati, as his successor in 2001. The BSP has its main base in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh where it was the second-largest party in the 2019 Indian general election with 19.3% of votes[7] and fourth largest in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election with 12.88% of votes.[8] Its election symbol is an elephant which is the same symbol historically used by Dr. Ambedkar's Scheduled Castes Federation.[9]

Etymology

[edit]
BSP Rally in Mumbai

"Bahujan" is a Sanskritic term found in Hindu and Buddhist texts, and literally refers to "many people", or "the majority". It connotes the combined population of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Muslims, and minorities who together constitute the demographic majority of India.[10][11] The word "Bahujan" appears in the dictum "Bahujana Hitaya Bahujana Sukhaya", or "The benefit and prosperity of the many", articulated by Gautama Buddha.[12][13][14]

In his writing, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar used the term to refer to the majority of people in society that experienced discrimination and oppression on the basis of caste. Jyotirao Phule used the term in a similar context, and compared the Bahujans of India to Slavery in the United States. Schedule Caste and Bahujan writers have suggested this proportion was 70 percent of the population.[14][15]

History

[edit]
Bahujan Samaj Party flag used in public.

Bahujan Samaj Party was founded on the birth anniversary of B. R. Ambedkar (14 April 1984) by Kanshi Ram,[16] who named former school teacher, Mayawati, as his successor of BSP in 2001.[17] The party's power grew quickly with seats in the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh and the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. In 1993, following the assembly elections, Mayawati formed a coalition with Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav as Chief Minister. On 2 June 1995, she withdrew support from his government, which led to a major incident where Mulayam Singh Yadav was accused of sending his zealots to keep her party legislators hostage at a Lucknow guest house and shout casteist abuses at her.[18] Since this incident, they have regarded each other publicly as chief rivals.[19] Mayawati then obtained support from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to become Chief Minister on 3 June 1995. In October 1995, the BJP withdrew their support and fresh elections were called after a period of President's Rule. In 2003, Mayawati resigned from her own government to prove that she was not "hungry for power"[20] and asked the BJP-run Government of India to remove Union Tourism and Culture Minister, Jagmohan.[21] In 2007, she began leading a BSP-formed government with an absolute majority for a full five-year term.[22]

On 10 December 2023, Mayawati declared her nephew Akash Anand as the party's successor.[23][24][25] However, he was sacked immediately after his comments on the ruling BJP Party.[26]

Silver jubilee

[edit]

On 14 April 2009, the Bahujan Samaj Party celebrated its silver jubilee.[27] The Manywar Shri Kanshi Ramji Shahri Garib Awas Yojna housing scheme for poor was launched by Lucknow Development Authority (LDA).[28] The role of Mayawati was discussed in BSP's success.[29] A mass rally was organised in Lucknow with 10000 police personnel on duty.[30] It was the 305th and largest rally of BSP since 1984.[31] As per Observer Research Foundation, within 25 years BSP became third largest political party of India.[32]

Views

[edit]

BSP believes in "Social Transformation and Economic Emancipation" of the "Bahujan Samaj". The Bahujan Samaj signifies the Bahujans as the Scheduled Castes (SC), the Scheduled Tribes (ST), and the Other Backward Castes (OBC). B. R. Ambedkar, a proponent of Bahujan rights, is their important ideological inspiration. The BSP also speaks in favor of religious minorities. The party claims not to be prejudiced against upper-caste Hindus. In 2008, while addressing the audience, Mayawati said: "Our policies and ideology are not against any particular caste or religion. If we were anti-upper caste, we would not have given tickets to candidates from upper castes to contest elections".[33]

List of chief ministers

[edit]

Chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh

[edit]
No Image Name Constituency Term of office Tenure length Assembly
1 Mayawati None 3 June 1995 18 October 1995 137 days 12th Assembly
(1993 election)
Harora 21 March 1997 21 September 1997 184 days 13th Assembly
(1996 election)
3 May 2002 29 August 2003 1 year, 118 days 14th Assembly
(2002 election)
MLC 13 May 2007 15 March 2012 4 years, 307 days 15th Assembly
(2007 election)

Electoral performances

[edit]

Success in 2007

[edit]

The results of the May 2007 Uttar Pradesh state assembly election saw the BSP emerge as a sole majority party, the first to do so since 1991. Mayawati began her fourth term as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and took her oath of office along with 50 ministers of cabinet and state rank on 13 May 2007, at Rajbhawan in the state capital of Lucknow.[34] Most importantly, the majority achieved in large part was due to the party's ability to take away majority of upper castes votes from their traditional party, the BJP.[35]

Flags of "Bahujan Samaj Party" at Shivaji Park, Mumbai.

The party could manage only 80 seats in 2012, as opposed to 206 in 2007 assembly elections. BSP government was the first in the history of Uttar Pradesh to complete its full five-year term.[36] On 26 May 2018, Ram Achal Rajbhar was replaced by R S Kushwaha as the president of UP unit.[37]

2014 Lok Sabha Elections

[edit]

The 2014 national Lok Sabha elections saw the BSP become the third-largest national party of India in terms of vote percentage, having 4.2% of the vote across the country but gaining no seats.[38]

2019 Lok Sabha Elections: Mahagathbandhan

[edit]

Prior to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BSP formed an alliance. The Mahagathbandhan (or Grand Alliance), or simply the Gathbandhan (Alliance),[39][40] is an anti-Congress,[41] anti-BJP[42] Indian political alliance formed in the run-up to the 2019 general election under the leadership of two former Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party and Mayawati of the Bahujan Samaj Party, along with Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal and several other political parties, contesting in different states of India.[43][44][45][46][47][48]

In Uttar Pradesh, BSP contested 38 seats, SP 37, and RLD 3, and the alliance supported Congress in the final two. Due to this seat sharing agreement, BSP's vote share fell slightly nationally and in the state, but they won 10 seats, up from 0 in 2014. The Samajwadi Party won 5 seats, giving the alliance a total of 15 seats out of 80 in the state.[49]

2024 Lok Sabha Elections: Historic Setback

[edit]

On 19 July 2023, the BSP had announced that it would neither side with the INDIA nor the NDA and would go alone in the 2024 Indian General Election.[50] But it had its worst performance in a Lok Sabha election. It lost all ten of its seats in Uttar Pradesh that it had gained in the previous election and didn't gain any seats elsewhere. Its national vote share fell to 2.07%, less than half of what it was in 2014 when it also won 0 seats.[51]

Election results

[edit]

Lok Sabha

[edit]
Lok Sabha Term Year Seats
contested
Seats won +/- Seats vote% +/- vote% State (seats)
9th 1989 245
4 / 543
Increase 4 2.07% - Punjab(1)
UP(3)[52]
10th 1991 231
3 / 543
Decrease 1 1.61% Decrease 0.46% MP (1)
Punjab (1)
UP (1)[53]
11th 1996 210
11 / 543
Increase 8 4.02% Increase 2.41% MP (2)
Punjab (3)
UP(6)
12th 1998 251
5 / 543
Decrease 6 4.67% Increase 0.65% Haryana(1)
UP(4)
13th 1999 225
14 / 543
Increase 9 4.16% Decrease 0.49% UP(14)
14th 2004 435
19 / 543
Increase 5 5.33% Increase 1.17% UP(19)
15th 2009 500
21 / 543
Increase 2 6.17% Increase 0.84% MP(1)
UP(20)
16th 2014 503
0 / 543
Decrease 21 4.19% Decrease 1.98%
17th 2019 383
10 / 543
Increase 10 3.67% Decrease 0.52% UP(10)
18th 2024 424
0 / 543
Decrease 10 2.07% Decrease 1.6%

Legislative Assembly Elections

[edit]
Year Seats contested Seats won +/- Voteshare (%) +/-(%)
Bihar Legislative Assembly
1990 164
0 / 324
Steady 0.73%
1995 161
2 / 324
Increase2 1.34%
2000 249
5 / 324
Increase3 1.89%
Feb 2005 238
2 / 243
Decrease3 4.41%
Oct 2005 212
4 / 243
Increase2 4.17%
2010 243
0 / 243
Decrease4 3.21%
2015 228
0 / 243
Steady 2.1%
2020 80
1 / 243
Increase1 1.5%
Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly
2003 54
2 / 90
Increase2 4.45%
2008 90
2 / 90
Steady 6.11%
2013 90
1 / 90
Decrease1 4.27%
2018 33
2 / 90
Increase1 3.9%
2023 58
0 / 90
Decrease 0 2.05%
Delhi Legislative Assembly
1993 55
1 / 70
Increase1 3.90%
1998 58
0 / 70
Decrease1 3.15%
2003 40
0 / 70
Steady 5.76%
2008 70
2 / 70
Increase2 14.05%
2013 69
0 / 70
Decrease2 5.33%
2015 70
0 / 70
Steady 1.31%
2020 68
0 / 70
Steady 0.71%
Haryana Legislative Assembly
2000 83
1 / 90
Increase1 5.74%
2005 84
1 / 90
Steady 3.22%
2009 86
1 / 90
Steady 6.73%
2014 87
1 / 90
Steady 4.4%
2019 87
0 / 90
Decrease1 4.21%
2024 35
0 / 90
Steady 1.81%
Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly
1990 35
0 / 68
Steady 0.94%
1993 49
0 / 68
Steady 2.25%
1998 28
0 / 68
Steady 1.41%
2003 23
0 / 68
Steady 0.7%
2007 67
1 / 68
Increase1 7.40%
2012 67
0 / 68
Decrease1 1.7%
2017 42
0 / 68
Steady 0.49%
2022 53
0 / 68
Steady 0.35%
Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly
1996 29
4 / 87
Increase4 6.43%
2002 33
1 / 87
Decrease3 4.50%
2008 83
0 / 87
Decrease1 3.73%
2014 50
0 / 87
Steady 1.41%
2024
0 / 87
Steady 0.96%
Jharkhand Legislative Assembly
2009 78
0 / 81
Steady 2.44%
2014 61
1 / 81
Steady 1.8%
2019 67
0 / 81
Decrease1 2.5%
Karnataka Legislative Assembly
2018 18
1 / 234
Increase1 0.30%
2023 133
0 / 234
Decrease1 0.31%
Kerala Legislative Assembly
2011 122
0 / 140
Steady 0.60%
2016 74
0 / 140
Steady 0.24%
2021 72
0 / 140
Steady 0.23%
Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly
1990 183
2 / 320
Increase2 3.54% -
1993 286
11 / 320
Increase9 7.05% Increase3.51%
1998 170
11 / 320
Steady 6.15% Decrease0.9%
2003 157
2 / 230
Decrease9 7.26% Decrease1.11%
2008 228
7 / 230
Increase5 8.97% Increase1.71%
2013 227
4 / 230
Decrease3 6.29% Decrease2.68%
2018 227
2 / 230
Decrease2 5.01% Decrease1.28%
2023 181
0 / 230
Decrease2 3.40% Decrease1.61%
Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
1990 122 0 Steady 0.42%
1995 145 0 Steady 1.49%
1999 83 0 Steady 0.39%
2004 272 0 Steady 4.0%
2009 287 0 Steady 2.35%
2014 280 0 Steady 2.33%
2019 262 0 Steady 0.92%
Punjab Legislative Assembly
1992 105
9 / 117
Increase9 16.32%
1997 67
1 / 117
Decrease8 7.48%
2002 100
0 / 117
Decrease1 5.69%
2007 115
0 / 117
Steady 4.13%
2012 117
0 / 117
Steady 4.29%
2017 111
0 / 117
Steady 1.52%
2022 20
1 / 117
Increase1 1.77%
Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
1990 57
0 / 200
Steady 0.79%
1993 50
0 / 200
Steady 0.56%
1998 108
2 / 200
Increase2 2.17%
2003 124
2 / 200
Steady 3.97%
2008 199
6 / 200
Increase4 7.60%
2013 199
3 / 200
Decrease3 3.37%
2018 199
6 / 200
Increase3 4.03%
2023[54] 199
2 / 200
Decrease4 1.82%
Telangana Legislative Assembly
2018 106
0 / 117
Decrease2 2.10%
2023 106
0 / 117
Steady 1.37%
Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly
2002 68
7 / 70
Increase7 10.93% -
2007 70
8 / 70
Increase1 11.76% Increase 0.83%
2012 70
3 / 70
Decrease5 12.19% Increase 0.43%
2017
0 / 70
Decrease3 6.98% Decrease 5.21%
2022 54
2 / 70
Increase2 4.82% Decrease 1.16%
Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly
1989 372
13 / 425
Increase13 9.41% -
1991 386
12 / 425
Decrease1 9.44% Increase0.03%
1993 164
67 / 425
Increase55 11.12% Increase1.68%
1996 299
67 / 425
Steady 19.64% Increase8.52%
2002 401
98 / 403
Increase31 23.06% Increase3.42%
2007 403
206 / 403
Increase108 30.43% Increase7.37%
2012 403
80 / 403
Decrease126 25.91% Decrease4.48%
2017 403
19 / 403
Decrease61 22.23% Decrease3.71%
2022 403
1 / 403
Decrease18 12.88% Decrease9.43%
[edit]

See also

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]

References

[edit]
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[edit]