Bahujan Samaj Party
The Bahujan Samaj Party is a national level political party in India that was formed to represent Bahujans, referring to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Castes, 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.
Etymology
"Bahujan" is a Pali term frequently found in Buddhist texts, and literally refers to "the many", or "the majority". It appears in the dictum "Bahujana Hitaya Bahujana Sukhaya", or "The benefit and prosperity of the many", articulated by Gautama Buddha. In his writing, B. R. Ambedkar used the term to refer to the majority of people in Hindu society that experienced discrimination and oppression on the basis of caste. Jotirao Phule used the term in a similar context, and compared the lower castes of India to slaves in the United States. Dalit and lower-caste writers have suggested this proportion was 85 percent of the population. Lower-caste people are sometimes collectively referred to as "bahujan samaj", or the majority community. The term has also been translated as "subaltern". The precise set of caste groups described as "Bahujan" has varied with context; in the state of Maharashtra, for example, the term has often excluded Dalits. However, it always refers to non-Dvija, or twice-born, castes, and thus does not include Brahmins, Kshatriyas, or Vaishyas.Organisation and structure
The BSP has no separate youth wing; however, youth representation is over 50%. BSP has no social media accounts or website. Sudhindra Bhadoria, a senior party leader, is the only official spokesperson of the BSP. Its organisation involves Bhaichara Committees for gaining support from Forward castes, Other Backward Classes, Dalits and Muslim communities.Ideology and political positions
Ideology
Its self-proclaimed ideology is "Social Transformation and Economic Emancipation" of the "Bahujan Samaj". The "Bahujan Samaj", to them, consists of the lower-caste groups in India like the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes. It also includes religious minorities like Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Parsis, and Buddhists. They see these groups as victims of the "Manuwadi" system for millennia, a system which benefited upper-caste Hindus only. B. R. Ambedkar, a champion of lower-caste rights, is an important ideological inspiration. 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". Satish Chandra Mishra, a BSP senior leader, is upper caste. The party also believe in egalitarianism and hold a strong emphasis on social justice.Strategy
The Bahujan Samaj Party was founded on the birth anniversary of B. R. Ambedkar, 14 April 1984, by Kanshi Ram, who named former schoolteacher, Mayawati, as his successor of BSP in 2001.Lesser-known figures from the Indian Rebellion of 1857 have been used as Dalit icons by the BSP, such as Avantibai, Uda Devi, Mahaviri Devi, Jhalkaribai, Matadin Bhangi, Ballu Mehtar, Vira Pasi, Banke Chamar and Chetram Jatav, the social scientist Badri Narayan Tiwari has noted that
List of Chief Ministers
Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh
History
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 Yadav was accused of sending his goons to keep her party legislators hostage at a Lucknow guest house and shout casteist abuses at her. Since this event, they have regarded each other publicly as chief rivals.Mayawati then obtained support from the Bharatiya Janata Party 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" and asked the BJP-run Government of India to remove Union Tourism and Culture Minister, Jagmohan. In 2007, she began leading a BSP-formed government with an absolute majority for a full five-year term.
Silver jubilee
Bahujan Samaj Party on 14 April 2009 celebrated its silver jubilee. Manywar Shri Kanshi Ramji Shahri Garib Awas Yojna, housing scheme for poor was launched by Lucknow Development Authority. Role of Mayawati was discussed in BSP's success. Mass rally was organised in Lucknow with 10000 police personnel on duty. It was 305th and largest rally of BSP since 1984. As per Observer Research Foundation, within 25 years BSP became third largest political party of India.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., 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 simply the Gathbandhan, is an anti-Congress, anti-BJP 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.The Mahagathbandhan won 15 seats out of 80 in Uttar Pradesh in 2019 Indian General Election.
Election results
Lok Sabha (Lower House)
| Lok Sabha Term | Indian General Election | Seats contested | Seats won | % of votes | % of votes in seats contested | State |
| 9th Lok Sabha | 1989 | 245 | 4 | 2.07 | 4.53 | Punjab Uttar Pradesh |
| 10th Lok Sabha | 1991 | 231 | 3 | 1.61 | 3.64 | Madhya_Pradesh Punjab Uttar Pradesh |
| 11th Lok Sabha | 1996 | 210 | 11 | 4.02 | 11.21 | Madhya Pradesh Punjab Uttar Pradesh |
| 12th Lok Sabha | 1998 | 251 | 5 | 4.67 | 9.84 | Haryana Uttar Pradesh |
| 13th Lok Sabha | 1999 | 225 | 14 | 4.16 | 9.97 | Uttar Pradesh |
| 14th Lok Sabha | 2004 | 435 | 19 | 5.33 | 6.66 | Uttar Pradesh |
| 15th Lok Sabha | 2009 | 500 | 21 | 6.17 | 6.56 | Madhya Pradesh Uttar Pradesh |
| 16th Lok Sabha | 2014 | 503 | 0 | 4.19 | NA | |
| 17th Lok Sabha | 2019 | 383 | 10 | 3.67 | Uttar Pradesh |
Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly (Lower House)
| Vidhan Sabha Term | UP elections | Seats contested | Seats won | % of votes | % of votes in seats contested |
| 12th Vidhan Sabha | 1993 | 164 | 67 | 11.12 | 28.52 |
| 13th Vidhan Sabha | 1996 | 296 | 67 | 19.64 | 27.73 |
| 14th Vidhan Sabha | 2002 | 401 | 98 | 23.06 | 23.19 |
| 15th Vidhan Sabha | 2007 | 403 | 206 | 30.43 | 30.43 |
| 16th Vidhan Sabha | 2012 | 403 | 80 | 25.95 | 25.95 |
| 17th Vidhan Sabha | 2017 | 403 | 19 | 22.24 | 22.24 |
Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly
| Vidhan Sabha Term | Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election | Seats contested | Seats won | % of votes | % of votes in seats contested |
| 9th Vidhan Sabha | 1990 | 183 | 2 | 3.54 | 5.89 |
| 10th Vidhan Sabha | 1993 | 286 | 2 | 7.05 | 7.86 |
| 11th Vidhan Sabha | 1998 | 170 | 11 | 6.15 | 11.39 |
| 12th Vidhan Sabha | 2003 | 157 | 2 | 7.26 | 10.62 |
| 13th Vidhan Sabha | 2008 | 230 | 7 | 8.97 | 9.29 |
| 14th Vidhan Sabha | 2013 | 227 | 4 | 6.29 | 6.42 |
| 15th Vidhan Sabha | 2018 | 230 | 2 | 5.00 |
Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
| Vidhan Sabha Term | Rajasthan Assembly Election | Seats contested | Seats won | % of votes | % of votes in seats contested |
| 9th Vidhan Sabha | 1990 | 57 | 0 | 0.79 | 2.54 |
| 10th Vidhan Sabha | 1993 | 50 | 0 | 0.56 | 2.01 |
| 11th Vidhan Sabha | 1998 | 108 | 2 | 2.17 | 3.81 |
| 12th Vidhan Sabha | 2003 | 124 | 2 | 3.97 | 6.40 |
| 13th Vidhan Sabha | 2008 | 199 | 6 | 7.60 | 7.66 |
| 14th Vidhan Sabha | 2013 | 199 | 3 | 3.37 | 3.48 |
| 15th Vidhan Sabha | 2018 | 199 | 6 | 4.00 |
Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly
Bihar Legislative Assembly
| Vidhan Sabha Term | Bihar Assembly Election | Seats contested | Seats won | % of votes | % of votes in seats contested |
| 10th Vidhan Sabha | 1990 | 164 | 0 | 0.73 | 1.41 |
| 11th Vidhan Sabha | 1995 | 161 | 2 | 1.34 | 2.66 |
| 12th Vidhan Sabha | 2000 | 249 | 5 | 1.89 | 2.47 |
| 13th Vidhan Sabha | Feb. 2005 | 238 | 2 | 4.41 | 4.50 |
| 14th Vidhan Sabha | Oct. 2005 | 212 | 4 | 4.17 | 4.75 |
| 15th Vidhan Sabha | 2010 | 243 | 0 | 3.21 | 3.27 |
| 16th Vidhan Sabha | 2015 | 228 | 0 | 2.1 | 2.2 |
Delhi Legislative Assembly
Haryana Legislative Assembly
| Vidhan Sabha Term | Haryana Assembly Election | Seats contested | Seats won | % of votes | % of votes in seats contested |
| 10th Vidhan Sabha | 2000 | 83 | 1 | 5.74 | 6.22 |
| 11th Vidhan Sabha | 2005 | 84 | 1 | 3.22 | 3.44 |
| 12th Vidhan Sabha | 2009 | 86 | 1 | 6.73 | 7.05 |
| 13th Vidhan Sabha | 2014 | 87 | 1 | 4.37 | 4.52 |
| 14th Vidhan Sabha | 2019 | 87 | 0 | 4.14 | 4.31 |
Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly
| Vidhan Sabha Term | Himachal Pradesh Assembly Election | Seats contested | Seats won | % of votes | % of votes in seats contested |
| 7th Vidhan Sabha | 1990 | 35 | 0 | 0.94 | 1.76 |
| 8th Vidhan Sabha | 1993 | 49 | 0 | 2.25 | 3.0 |
| 9th Vidhan Sabha | 1998 | 28 | 0 | 1.41 | 3.28 |
| 10th Vidhan Sabha | 2003 | 23 | 0 | 0.7 | 2.02 |
| 11th Vidhan Sabha | 2007 | 67 | 1 | 7.40 | 7.37 |
| 12th Vidhan Sabha | 2012 | 67 | 0 | 1.7 | 2.02 |
| 13th Vidhan Sabha | 2017 | 42 | 0 | 0.49 | 0.79 |
Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly
| Vidhan Sabha Term | Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Election | Seats contested | Seats won | % of votes | % of votes in seats contested |
| 9th Vidhan Sabha | 1996 | 29 | 4 | 6.43 | 15.07 |
| 10th Vidhan Sabha | 2002 | 33 | 1 | 4.50 | 7.86 |
| 11th Vidhan Sabha | 2008 | 83 | 0 | 3.73 | 3.73 |
| 12th Vidhan Sabha | 2014 | 50 | 0 | 1.41 | 2.07 |
Jharkhand Legislative Assembly
| Vidhan Sabha Term | Jharkhand Assembly Election | Seats contested | Seats won | % of votes | % of votes in seats contested |
| 3rd Vidhan Sabha | 2009 | 78 | 0 | 2.44 | 2.55 |
| 4th Vidhan Sabha | 2014 | 61 | 1 | 1.8 | 2.4 |
Karnataka Legislative Assembly
| Vidhan Sabha Term | Karnataka Assembly Election | Seats contested | Seats won | Total of votes | % of votes | % of votes in seats contested |
| 15th Vidhan Sabha | 2018 | 18 | 1 | 108592 | 0.30% | 3.72% |
Kerala Legislative Assembly
| Vidhan Sabha Term | Kerala Assembly Election | Seats contested | Seats won | % of votes | % of votes in seats contested |
| 13th Vidhan Sabha | 2011 | 122 | 0 | 0.60 | 0.70 |
| 14th Vidhan Sabha | 2016 | 74 | 0 | 0.24 | 0.45 |
Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
| Vidhan Sabha Term | Maharashtra Assembly Election | Seats contested | Seats won | % of votes | % of votes in seats contested |
| 8th Vidhan Sabha | 1990 | 122 | 0 | 0.42 | 0.98 |
| 9th Vidhan Sabha | 1995 | 145 | 0 | 1.49 | 2.82 |
| 10th Vidhan Sabha | 1999 | 83 | 0 | 0.39 | 1.24 |
| 11th Vidhan Sabha | 2004 | 272 | 0 | 4.0 | 4.18 |
| 12th Vidhan Sabha | 2009 | 287 | 0 | 2.35 | 2.42 |
| 13th Vidhan Sabha | 2014 | 280 | 0 | 2.25 | 2.33 |
| 14th Vidhan Sabha | 2019 | 262 | 0 | 0.92 | 1.00 |
Punjab Legislative Assembly
| Vidhan Sabha Term | Punjab Assembly Election | Seats contested | Seats won | % of votes | % of votes in seats contested |
| 10th Vidhan Sabha | 1992 | 105 | 9 | 16.32 | 17.59 |
| 11th Vidhan Sabha | 1997 | 67 | 1 | 7.48 | 13.28 |
| 12th Vidhan Sabha | 2002 | 100 | 0 | 5.69 | 6.61 |
| 13th Vidhan Sabha | 2007 | 115 | 0 | 4.13 | 4.17 |
| 14th Vidhan Sabha | 2012 | 117 | 0 | 4.29 | 4.30 |
| 15th Vidhan Sabha | 2017 | 111 | 0 | 1.52 | 1.59 |