Samajwadi Party
Samajwadi Party | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Mulayam Singh Yadav |
| Secretary | Amar Singh |
| Lok Sabha Leader | Ram Gopal Yadav |
| Founded | October 4, 1992 |
| Headquarters | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh |
| Ideology | Democratic Socialism |
| Seats in Lok Sabha | 38 |
| Seats in Rajya Sabha | 16 |
| Website | |
| http://www.samajwadipartyindia.com | |
Samajwadi Party (literally, Socialist Party) is a political party in India. It is based in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It describes itself as a democratic socialist party. It was founded on October 4, 1992.
The Samajwadi Party was one of several parties that emerged when the Janata Dal (People's League), India's primary opposition party prior to the BJP, fragmented into several regional parties. The Samajwadi Party is led by Mulayam Singh Yadav, a former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and a former defence minister of the country.
Electoral record
The Samajwadi Party is primarily based in Uttar Pradesh. Its support is largely based on OBCs (Other Backward Castes) and Muslims, particularly Mulayam Singh Yadav's own Yadav caste. It has contested Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections around the country, though its successes have been mainly in Uttar Pradesh. In the last assembly election in Madhya Pradesh in 2003, the Samajwadi Party gained 7 seats, making it the third largest party in the state. When its candidate won the by-election of Lanji (Balaghat) in 2007, its total tally reached 8.
In the 14th Lok Sabha, it currently has 38 members, its best ever tally, making it the fourth largest party in that house. Besides 36 members from Uttar Pradesh, it won one seat from Uttranchal.
In 2005, former Karnataka Chief Minister Bangarappa resigned from the BJP to join the Samajwadi Party. He successfully held his Lok Sabha seat, Shimoga, on the Samajwadi ticket.
In the recently conducted 2007 Uttar Pradesh legislative elections, the SP won only 96 seats as compared to 146 in the previous election. As a result, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav had to resign, with his rival Mayawati, leader of the BSP (which won a majority of 207 seats), sworn in as the Chief Minister.
Position in state and national politics
At present, the Samajwadi Party's main ally is the Rashtriya Lok Dal, a small party which is supporting it in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress is also providing vital support to that government, and likewise, the Samajwadi Party is providing outside support to the minority Manmohan Singh administration at the centre.
The SP tries to maintain equal distance between Congress and BJP at a national level.[citation needed] But its main rival in Uttar Pradesh is Mayawati's BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) which has emerged as a major political force in the state. The BSP primarily focuses on Dalit and backward caste votes.
Controversy
The party attracted some controversy in 2009 by nominating Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt as a candidate for the Lok Sabha seat of Lucknow. Dutt is currently appealing against his conviction for possessing illegal firearms. He was convicted as part of the investigation into the 1993 Bombay bombings, though he was cleared of conspiracy to commit terrorism. The SP general secretary, Amar Singh, has announced that, if Dutt is disqualified from standing, his wife Manyata Dutt may stand in his place.[1]
Noted SP figures
- Mulayam Singh Yadav, Founder & National President, former Union Defence Minister and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
- Amar Singh, General Secretary and Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
- Virendra Bhatia, Member Of Parliament Rajya Sabha
- Jnashwar Mishra, National Vice President, former Union Minister
- Ram Gopal Yadav, General Secretary, Member of Parliament and Lok Sabha party leader
- Akhilesh Yadav, Patron, Yuvjan Sabha
- S. Bangarappa, former Chief Minister of Karnataka, State President of Karnataka
- Abu Asim Azmi, Member of Parliament, (Rajya Sabha), State President of Maharashtra
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