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Will the Bahujan Samajwadi Party lose its status as a national party? Here’s a study to make it easy for all of you to understand the context and the expected outcomes.
The Bahujan Samajwadi Party lays a claim to have been inspired by the philosophy of B.R. Ambedkar and above that, it also claims to fight for the rights of the minority castes. It is famously known as the party for the ‘low and lowly’. The Bahujan Samajwadi Party majorly works on the vote bank politics or did work on it until a few years ago. It came into existence in the year 1984 under the leadership of Kanshi Ram. Mayawati aka ‘Behenji’ took over the party’s command from Kanshi Ram in the year 2003 and formed Uttar Pradesh the main base of the party in India. The party also had to face major issues on the account of targeting the vote bank, to which a complete list of controversies only act like different kinds of icing on the cake. In the year 1995, Bhartiya Janta Party first supported Mayawati on her request but later withdrew its support within 5 months during her term as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Everyone is aware of Mayawati playing the vote bank game. Seems like, it didn’t turn out so well this time.
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The Bahujan Samajwadi Party recently contested for all the 260 seats in Maharashtra and 90 seats in Haryana but ended up being questioned on its very status of a national party. BSP during the Lok Sabha election failed to even win two seats it needed to maintain its status as a national party. However, it somehow managed to get one seat in Haryana but ended up winning none in Maharashtra. The party at least deserve a standing ovation for this glorious win[one seat out of 90].
PC- santabanta.com
The party as of now has managed to buy some time from the Election Commission of India to explain why it should be given the status of a national party. It has for now excused itself citing the Maharashtra and Haryana assembly elections. After the question arose on the party’s existence as a national party it has pulled up its socks to get back into form in any way it can.
Here’s what our sources have to share with us. Future policies ?
The first major step which the party plans to take up is to raise the issues that are relevant in the case of the Dalit-Brahmin relationship. Mayawati seems to be playing the Upper and Lower caste cards at once and this does not come as a surprise to me.
A great number of leaders now plan to head towards ‘other’ major parties in power. Seems like, even they are scared of Behenji’s wrath.
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The Bahujan Samajwadi party as anticipated will definitely raise the Dalit issues while campaigning for the 2017 Assembly elections in order to play the vote bank card. The upcoming elections will not be less than a life and death challenge for the Bahujan Samajwadi Party.
Here’s what we all need to know. Will you believe it or not?
People hold the belief that the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samajwadi Party usually come into power in alternative terms the elections are held in. In the year 2004, Samajwadi Party came into power, followed by Bahujan Samajwadi Party’s win in 2007 and Samajwadi Party’s win in the last State elections held in 2012. However, it will be difficult for BSP to maintain its position in the political battlefield during the 2017 elections when they have the Bhartiya Janta Party emerging as the new rising party in power on one hand and the well established Samajwadi Party in the state, on the other.
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What will the party lose if ripped off its national status?
1) Benefit of using one symbol for promoting the party on all platforms which helps the common masses to identify with it without any confusion.
2) Benefit of using the All India Radio and Doordarshan as means of promotion and campaigning .
3) Benefit of two free electoral rolls whereas others have to pay for themselves.
The bets have already been placed on the result of the 2017 State elections in Uttar Pradesh. People have their fingers crossed for now. We need to see the level Bahujan Samajwadi Party experiments with and tries to cross in order to maintain its position in the political field.
The decision of the Election Commission is still awaited and if Bahujan Samajwadi Party loses its status as a national party, then we all know whose turn will it be to celebrate! Will it be an end to the Bahujan Samajwadi Party era or will the party rise from its ashes again?
PC- indiatoday
