Samajwadi Party (SP)

Samajwadi Party (SP), roughly translated as the Socialist Party, is a regional political party of India. Its mass base is primarily in the state of Uttar Pradesh, though it also has considerable  presence in states such as Karnataka, Bihar, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh. Its political position is Centrist, and it operates on the political ideologies of Democratic Socialism, Populism and Social Conservatism. The SP asserts its complete allegiance and political struggle to the socially oppressed sections of the society, who live on the margins of mainstream life in Uttar Pradesh. In other words, claiming to be a democratic socialist party, the Samajwadi Party speaks for the upliftment and economic progress of the minorities, especially the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and the Muslims. The party also functions on the guiding principles of Secularism, and fights against all communal forces.

Formed in October 1992 in Lucknow by the veteran leader and party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, the SP was one of the many political factions to split from the parent organization Janata Dal. The Samajwadi Party abides in the footsteps of the progressive thinker, writer and great Parliamentarian Ram Manohar Lohia, who is considered a guiding light for the workings of the SP. Lohia’s democratic outlook and appeal for indulging in grassroot-level politics, his Gandhian principles of non-violent demonstrations and Satyagraha, and his belief in ending all forms of capitalist and feudalistic tendencies in the country, have greatly inspired Mulayam and other members of the Samajwadi Party in reaching out to the poorest and most depressed sections of the society, the lower castes and other minorities. Lohia’s ‘do or die’ spirit is a great inspiration for the party, which instills hope and confidence among the socially marginalized people of the country.

The Samajwadi Party is the third-largest political party in the Lok Sabha, after the Congress and the BJP, winning 22 seats in the Lower House in its 15th session. It has 8 members in the Rajya Sabha. At the national level, the party provides outside support to the United Progressive Alliance, without being a member of the alliance. However, for the upcoming general elections in 2014, the SP may form an alliance with other democratic secular parties in forming the ‘Third Front’.

At the regional level, the SP is presently in power in Uttar Pradesh, winning a clear majority in the 2012 UP Assembly elections and defeating the previous BSP government. Mulayam Yadav’s son Akhilesh Yadav is the current Chief Minister of the state.

AC No.	AC Name	Candidates Name	Phase
161	Banka	Kalpana Devi	1
146	Begusarai	Dilip Keshari	1
205	Bhabua	Nitu Chandra Yadav	2
156	Bhagalpur	Gopal Bharti	1
206	Chainpur	Alok Kumar Singh	2
160	Dhoraiya	Ganesh Paswan	1
236	Hisua	Neetu Kumari	1
166	Jamalpur	Pappu Yadav	1
241	Jamui	Abdul Baqui	1
155	Kahalgaon	Shobhakant Mandal	1
	More...

Election Symbol of SP

The Election Symbol of the Samajwadi Party is the Bicycle. It is usually drawn on a red and green bi-colored party flag. Red is the colour of struggle and revolutionary ideals. Green is the colour of grass or greenery, denoting the basic-level of politics that the SP indulges in. Green is also the colour of hope. The Election Symbol of the SP is significant as it represents the true spirit of the party. The Election Symbol of the SP is thus significant, as it symbolizes the march of the party towards overall progress and development of the various communities of the state. Like a bicycle which is used as a vehicle to reach a destination, the SP ensures that it reaches its destination of achieving justice through rebellion. The red flag is emblematic of the party’s socialist and class struggle principles. Thus the Election Symbol of the party signifies what it stands for.

Leaders of the Samajwadi Party

The leaders of the Samajwadi Party, who are also the national executives of the party, are listed below:

• Mulayam Singh Yadav, Founder-President of SP: Popularly known as ‘Netaji’ among his party cadre, Mulayam Yadav has remained the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He is also a former Union Minister of Defence in the United Front. He is presently a member of the Lok Sabha, representing the Mainpuri constituency of Uttar Pradesh.
• Akhilesh Yadav, Uttar Pradesh SP President: He is the current Chief Minister of the state, preceded by Mayawati of the BSP. He has remained a Lok Sabha member, representing the Kannauj constituency.
• Abu Asim Azmi, Maharashtra SP President: He is a former Member of Parliament of the Rajya Sabha, representing Uttar Pradesh. Presently he is an MLA in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
• Azam Khan, National General Secretary of SP: He has remained a cabinet minister of the SP-led Uttar Pradesh government twice.
• Ram Gopal Yadav, General Secretary and Spokesperson of SP: He has remained a Member of Parliament, representing the Sambhal constituency of Uttar Pradesh in Lok Sabha.
• Rajendra Choudhary, Party Spokesperson of Uttar Pradesh.

The following are some of the MPs in the 15th Lok Sabha:

• Ghanshyam Anuragi, representing the Jalaun constituency
• Kamlesh Balmiki, representing the Bulandshahr constituency
• Premdas Katheria, representing the Etawah constituency
• Shailendra Kumar, representing the Kaushambi constituency
• Pakauri Lal, representing the Robertsganj constituency
• Mithlesh Kumar, representing the Shahjanpur constituency
• Balkumar Patel, representing the Mirzapur constituency
• R.K. Singh Patel, representing the Banda constituency
• Ramkishun, representing the Chandauli constituency
• Rakesh Sachan, representing the Fatehpur constituency
• Sushila Saroj, representing the Mohanlalganj constituency
• Dimple Yadav, representing Kanauj constituency
• Usha Verma, representing the Hardoi constituency
• Radhe Mohan Singh, representing the Ghazipur constituency

The Rajya Sabha MPs from the Samajwadi Party are:

• Jaya Bachchan
• Saleem Chaudhuri Munawwar
• Alok Tiwari
• Naresh Agarwal
• Arvind Kumar Singh
• Darshan Singh Yadav
• Nand Kiranmoy
• Ram Gopal Yadav
• Mohan Singh

Achievements of SP

As a regional political party and as the third-largest political party in the national level, the Samajwadi Party has a number of achievements, some of which are listed below:

• Samajwadi Party was the only party to stand up for the north Indians who were being targeted by the Shiv Sena in the state of Maharashtra in the last decades of the 20th century. The Shiv Sena, which believes in aggressive upholding of its ideologies of regional exclusivity, was directly challenged by the Samajwadi Party. The party defended the rights and privileges of the north Indian migrants to Maharashtra.
• The Samajwadi Party is one of the strong proponents of anti-Babri Masjid demolition, as it believes in fighting all communal forces and bring peace and harmony in the country. The BJP-directed demolition of the Babri Masjid is severely criticized by the SP. The party every year maintains that day as the Black Day in the history of the country.
• The SP has severely protested against the Congress-induced price rise, FDI in retail, and the blatant corruption prevalent among the Congress ministers in the state.
• In its bid to protect the interests of the farmers and other lower castes of the state, Mulayam protested against the Centre’s allocation of funds worth rupees 7,266 crore to Bundelkhand, saying the package was insufficient for proper development of the region.

Samajwadi Party office address and website

• Official Website of SP: http://www.samajwadiparty.in
• Head-Office Address of SP: Samajwadi Party, 18 Copernicus Lane, New Delhi
• Contact Number: 011-23386842 Fax: 011-23382430
• Email: [email protected], [email protected]

SP Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha Election Results Year Wise

Lok Sabha				Vidhan Sabha
State	Latest Year	Seats Won		Latest Year	Seats Won
Karnataka	2014	0		2013	1
Maharashtra	2019	0		2019	2
Uttar Pradesh	2019	5		2017	47
West Bengal	2019	0		2016	0