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National Parties Bahujan Samaj Party
Founded | 1984 |
Newspaper | Adil Jafri, Mayayug |
Headquarters | 12, Gurudwara Rakabganj Road,New Delhi – 110001 |
Ideology | Dalit Socialism |
Secularism | |
Social Engineering | |
Political position | Centre |
Official colours | Blue |
Election Symbol
Introduction
Bahujan Samaj Party is a party in India involved with centrist politics with ideologies leaning towards socialism. The sole aim of its formation was to represent the bahujans, which means people in majority, and referred to the people from backward classes, scheduled tribes and scheduled castes, and a few other minorities. B R Ambedkar’s philosophies are said to have inspired the party’s claims. Kanshi Ram, who was a leader of charisma and high profile, founded the party in 1984, and was later in 2003 headed by Mayawati. Elephant is the symbol of the party. In the lok sabha elections of 15th time, there were 21 members in the assembly, thereby the BSP was the party with 4th largest number of members. The BSP has its stronghold in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Bahujan is a Pali word and is known to be used in Buddhist literature, where it was used by Lord Buddha as a guidance towards his disciples, so that they worked for “Bahujan Hitay Bahujan Sukhay”. This means the prosperity and benefit of majority of people. People in majority is another meaning of this word. Since its inception, the BSP has constantly drawn votes from dalit caste, which is considered to be the lowest caste in India. Although the party has made attempts to grow in the national stage, it hasn’t had much success. In the state of Uttar Pradesh, although the party had a major share of voters from lower castes, it still had some reach in the members of the upper castes. The primary motivation of the party’s genesis was the work done by Kanshi Ram towards the government employees belonging to Scheduled castes. There were some activities of the parties in other states like Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. Even though the election commission recognizes the party in the national arena, it is more concentrated in the northern states only. It is based on the ideology of oppression of the majority of lower castes being oppressed by the upper case people, which it aims to alter by having a government strength.
History
In 1984, Kanshi Ram brought the BSP into force, but the leadership went into the hands of Mayawati as he was having bad health in 1990s. Mayawati was a school teacher before joining the party and came to be known as the de facto leader. The growth of the party in the national politics was rapid as well as in Uttar Pradesh, with members in the state and in the centre. In the year 1993, Mayawati secured a number of seats in the assembly elections and went into coalition with Mulayam Singh Yadav of Samajwadi Party, where he was the chief minister. But in 1995, support was withdrawn by her party and then ensued a ruckus regarding an incident where Mulayam Singh Yadav received allegations of keeping hostage some members of BSP party in an effort towards breaking her party. After this incident, both the leaders have been strong rivals, declaring it openly. In 1995, Mayawati went into coalition again with Bharatiya Janata party to become chief minister in June 3 1995, but then in October 1995, support was withdrawn by BJP leading to fresh elections during which period, president’s rule was imposed.
In the elections of 1997, there was no single party to receive majority. BSP again went into partnering with BJP, with the agreement to have the chief minister post to rotate between the two parties. But when the first tenure of 6 months became over, the BSP withdrew its support but because of a split in the BSP legislative assembly, the BJP rule continued in the state for more 4 and ½ years.
Again in the 2002 assembly elections, BSP approach BJP for tie up, although Mayawati took the charge of chief ministership all along the total tenure. In august 2003, when BJP withdrew support, the government fell from the hands of BSP because there was some sort of collaborative effort from the BJP with SP. When the speaker belonging to BJP give his support to the splitting of the legislative assembly, then the chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav came to the forefront with support from rebel parties.
Mayawati meanwhile took up different measures to allow the BSP to have a greater reach among the castes apart from the dalits, mostly the Brahmin population, because this section was considered to be not very fond of her. Before elections were to be held in 2007, a number of MLAs from the different assembly parties went into the BSP.
Famous Ministers of the Party
Bahan Kumari Mayawati
Mayawati is a politician from India, born during the year 1956 on 15th January, and continued in the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh post for 4 terms, and was also the head of BSP, the focus of the party being bringing welfare into the social awareness and change in platform of social account. A lot of work was done in favour of bahujans or dalit caste of people. When she lost the elections for legislative assembly in 2012 with Samajwadi Party holding forte, Mayawati resigned from party leadership on 7th March 2012. In the same month, she got elected to Rajya Sabha by acclaimation.
The way Mayawati went to wield power by coming up from humble backgrounds has been touted by P. V. Narsimha Rao, who was one of the previous prime ministers of the country, as Miracle of Democracy. In the year 1993, Mayawati received the credit of being Uttar Pradesh chief ministers at the young age of 39, which is a first as well as being the first chief minister in the country, with being a female dalit leader. In 1997 and again in 2002, she went on to become chief minister by partnering with Bharatiya Janata Party, when she completed a full term.
During the tenure of Mayawati, there have been controversies as well as good words. She is an icon in the eyes of dalits numbering millions and popularly known as Behenji meaning sister. Her fundraising efforts have come under praise for the party, while the way she celebrated her birthday went to become national media events and marked as symbol for party supporters. Lots of corruption indications have been seen though, because of the increase in her as well as party’s wealth.