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BSP to kickstart Lok Sabha poll drive on Kanshi Ram birth anniversary today
The BSP plans to mobilise its supporters with a series of programmes and workers’ conferences across the state on the occasion of Kanshi Ram’s birth anniversary.
Fighting to regain lost ground in Uttar Pradesh, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has decided to get its election campaign going in all 80 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state on the birth anniversary of party founder Kanshi Ram on Friday (March 15).
The party plans to mobilise its supporters with a series of programmes and workers’ conferences across the state on the occasion. Party workers from Lucknow, Hardoi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Hardoi, Rae Bareli, Sitapur and Unnao districts will assemble at the Kanshi Ram memorial here. BSP chief Mayawati is likely to pay tribute to Kanshi Ram at a programme at her residence.
“The birth anniversary of the party founder will be used to generate enthusiasm among the party cadre. With the Dalit-Muslim-OBC formula, the party is working to increase its tally in the Lok Sabha election,” a BSP leader said. Mayawati is giving the final touches to the candidates’ list sent by party coordinators, this leader added.
The BSP has already decided to go it alone in the polls.
Born on March 15, 1934 in Ropar district of Punjab, Kanshi Ram had mobilised the Dalit community in Uttar Pradesh to enable his party to capture political power for the first time in 1995.
Two decades before that, he quit a government job to launch the All India SC, ST, OBC and Minority Employees Association (BAMCEF) in 1971. The aim was to spread the ideals of Bhim Rao Ambedkar among the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and minority communities. In 1981, he launched the Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti (DS4) for social awakening among the Dalits, and, in 1984, he floated the BSP for their political empowerment.
With a sizable presence of Dalits across the state, Kanshi Ram started strengthening the organisation. His effort coincided with the Congress losing its hold on the community.
Kanshi Ram played an important role in the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance in the 1993 assembly election in Uttar Pradesh. Later, he broke the alliance and formed the BSP government with the support of the BJP in 1995 when Mayawati became the Uttar Pradesh chief minister for the first time.
After 1995, the BSP also formed the government 1997, 2002 and 2007 in Uttar Pradesh, but had limited influence in a few pockets in other states.
