Kumari Mayawati, Bahujan Samaj Party National President, Chief Minister of Uttar Pardesh, BSP National President, Bahujan Samaj Party Leader, BSP Leader, Bahujan Samaj Party, iron lady kumari mayawati, iron lady, Honourable Sister

KUMARI MAYAWATI

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) or Majority People's Party is one of the only five prominent national political parties of India, which is the largest democracy of the world.

• Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh (Fourth-time)

• National President, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)

• Member of Uttar Pardesh Legislative Council

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Electoral Performance

Critical Inputs / Quotes

NEWS & EVENTS

LOW CASTE LEADER FOR UTTAR PRADESH

Press Release

The leader of a party representing low-caste Hindus is to head the government of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

The state's governor invited the leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Mayawati, to form the next state government after elections in February failed to throw up a conclusive result.

No single party won the 202 seats required to secure an absolute majority in the 403-member legislature in the polls.

But Ms Mayawati has been able to seal a deal with the backing of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, which heads the federal coalition.

Mutual benefit :
Ms Mayawati would be sworn in as chief minister on 3 May.

The deal between the BSP and the BJP was struck just a day before the Indian Government faces a crucial debate in parliament over religious violence in Gujarat state.

The BSP, which has 13 MPs in parliament, has said it will back the government thus potentially saving it from an embarrassing defeat.

"In the next parliamentary elections too, we will have an alliance with the BJP," Ms Mayawati announced on Monday.

Uneasy allies :
In the state elections the BJP was ousted from office and forced into third place, with the regional Samajwadi Party getting the most number of seats.

But the party was unable to cobble together a majority in the fractured Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly, paving the way for the BSP-BJP alliance.

Both the BJP and the BSP represent social groups hostile to each other.

The BJP mainly represents upper caste Hindus while the BSP has formidable support from lower caste Hindus and Muslims.

Observers say the coalition may not last long because of inherent contradictions on policy matters and their different support bases.

A section of Muslim BSP supporters have already expressed their disapproval to form an alliance with the BJP.