Bahujan Samaj Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | BSP |
| President | Mayawati[1] |
| General Secretary |
|
| Rajya Sabha Leader | Ramji Gautam |
| Founder | Kanshi Ram |
| Founded | 14 April 1984 |
| Preceded by | Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti |
| Headquarters | 12, Gurudwara Rakabganj Road, New Delhi, India-110001 |
| Newspaper | Bahujan Samaj Bulletin |
| Ideology | Ambedkarism[3] Self-Respect[3] |
| Colours | Blue |
| ECI Status | National Party |
| Alliance | BSP+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 |
| Seats in State Legislative Council | 0 / 426 |
| Number of states and union territories in government | 0 / 31 |
| Election symbol | |
 | |
| Website | |
| www | |
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, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Narayana Guru, Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj, and Gautama Buddha.
Kanshi Ram named his protégée, Mayawati, as his successor in 2001. Its election symbol is an elephant which is the same symbol historically used by Dr. Ambedkar's Scheduled Castes Federation.[7]
- ^ livemint (26 May 2018). "Mayawati says she will remain BSP president for next 20 years". livemint.com. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ^ "BSP appoints Munquad Ali as UP party chief, Danish Ali removed as leader in LS". India Today. 7 August 2019. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- ^ a b Shyam Singh, 2010. "Dalit Movement and Emergence of the Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh: Politics and Priorities," Working Papers 242, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore.
- ^ "Bahujan Samaj Party". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 12 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ Jaffrelot, Christophe (2003). India's Silent Revolution: The Rise of the Lower Castes in North India. Hurst. ISBN 9781850653981. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "The Contradictory Bahujan of the BSP – Countercurrents". Countercurrents. 28 April 2017. Archived from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ Mishra, Anant Shekhar (20 April 2014). "A tale of election symbols". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.