The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is a national level political party in India that was formed to represent Bahujans (literally means “people in majority”), referring to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Castes (OBC), along with religious minorities. 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.The party claims to be inspired by the philosophy of Gautama Buddha, B. R. Ambedkar, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Narayana Guru, Periyar E. V. Ramasamy and Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj.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 and in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh elections with over 22% of votes. Its election symbol is an elephant.
Success in 2007
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.
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.
Flags of “Bahujan Samaj Party” at Shivaji Park, Mumbai.
The party could manage only 80 seats in 2012 as against 206 in 2007 assembly elections. BSP government was the first in the history of Uttar Pradesh to complete its full five-year term.On 26 May 2018, Ram Achal Rajbhar was replaced by R S Kushwaha as the president of UP unit.
2014 Lok Sabha Elections
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.
2019 Lok Sabha Elections Mahagathbandhan
Prior to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BSP formed a Mahagathbandhan. The Mahagathbandhan (or Grand Alliance), or simply the Gathbandhan (Alliance), is an anti-Congress,anti-BJPIndian 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.
The Mahagathbandhan won 15 seats out of 80 in Uttar Pradesh in 2019 Indian General Election.
Abbreviation: BSP
President: Mayawati
Secretary:
- Satish Chandra Mishra
- R S Kushwaha
- Munquad Ali
- Ram Achal Rajbhar
- Mewalal Gautam
- R Sridhar
Lok Sabha leader : Kunwar Danish Ali Rajya Sabha leader : Satish Chandra Mishra
Founder : Kanshi Ram
Founded14 April 1984 (36 years ago) Preceded byDSSSS
Headquarters12, Gurudwara Rakabganj Road, New Delhi, India-110001
Newspaper:Bahujan Samaj Bulletin
Ideology: Social equality
Social justice
Self respect
Status : National Party
Seats in Lok Sabha :10 / 543
Seats in : Rajya Sabha2 / 245Indian states18 / 403(Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly)
8 / 100(Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Parishad)
2 / 230(Madhya Pradesh Legislative
Littérateurs 