While the party is largely based in Uttar Pradesh,[18] it has significant presence in many other Indian states as well. It has been the ruling party in the state of Uttar Pradesh for four terms – three times under Chief MinisterMulayam Singh Yadav, the fourth and most recent being Chief MinisterAkhilesh Yadav's full majority government in the 2012–2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
The coalition of the party and its alliance partners: Samajwadi AllianceSP+ is currently the largest bloc in Uttar Pradesh in terms of Lok Saba MPs. The alliance has one of the largest vote bases in the state of Uttar Pradesh in terms of the collective voting pattern, with more than 37% vote share in the 2022 assembly elections and 44% in the 2024 general elections.[19][20][verification needed]
In Mumbai, a supporter of the Samajwadi Party carries a bicycle, which is the symbol featured on the socialist party's flag.
The Samajwadi Party was one of several parties that emerged when Janata Dal fragmented into several regional parties.[21] The party was founded by Mulayam Singh Yadav in 1992.[22][23] Created just months before the Babri Masjid demolition, the party rose to power by pursuing secular politics. The support of its key voters, Other Backward Classes and Muslims helped the party become a major political force in Uttar Pradesh.[24][25]
He was chosen as the President for the first time in an Emergency meeting in 2017. He was chosen for second time in 2017 at Agra Convention of Samajwadi Party. He was chosen for the third time at the party's national convention held in September 2022 at Lucknow,[15][16][17] after he was chosen as the President at the party's national convention held on 1 January 2017.
The party have contested Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections around the country, but by far the bulk of its victories have been in Uttar Pradesh. In the 2012 legislative assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh, SP registered a landslide victory with a clear majority in the house, thus enabling it to form a government in the state. This was expected to be the fifth term of Mulayam Singh Yadav as Chief Minister of state, but he selected his son, Akhilesh Yadav instead. This became official on 15 March. It was also the first time that SP was head of the UP government for a full term of five years.[26][27] However, the party suffered a landslide defeat in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly Election, slumping to only 47 seats as the Bharatiya Janata Party swept to victory.
The Samajwadi Party provided outside support to the United Progressive Alliance government up to the fourteenth general election. After the fourteenth general election, its support became unnecessary when the UPA became the largest alliance. It contested the 2009 general election in alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Lok Janshakti Party of Bihar.[29]
In April 2014, the Save Indian Family Foundation encouraged voters to support the Samajwadi Party or vote None of the above because they had said they opposed the alleged misuse of gender bias laws.[30]
In 2019 general election, the Samajwadi Party was defeated by the BJP in Uttar Pradesh though allying with Bahujan Samaj Party.[31] It became the thirteenth largest party in parliament.[32] In the general elections of 2019, it won only five seats, while the BSP won 10.
In the 2024 Indian general election, the Samajwadi Party achieved a historic breakthrough by winning 37 seats, making it the third-largest party in the 18th Lok Sabha. In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party contested the elections in alliance with the Indian National Congress. Together, they secured 43 out of the 80 seats in the state, marking a significant gain for the INDIA Alliance.
Under the guidance of Kailash Chaurasia, who was the Minister of State in the Government of Uttar Pradesh and under the direction of Dr.Arvind Srivastava, Shri Shivendra Nandan [36] made the formal announcement of the formation of Samajwadi Sentinel and in this sequence, Samajwadi Samvad to put forward the public's views. He reportedly cited the fight for equal rights for all races and issues related to inequality in youth-related matters as the main issues presented. The Samajwadi Party has front line campaigning groups.[37] Ongoing debate on party policy comes from many of their leaders. Among them are:
^This column only names the chief minister's party. The state government he or she heads may be a complex coalition of several parties and independents; these are not listed here.
Mulayam Singh Yadav, founder and former President of Samajwadi Party, former Defence minister of India and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.[70][71][72]
Akhilesh Yadav, President of Samajwadi Party and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.[73][74]
The Samajwadi Party has been slammed for supporting gangsters like Atiq Ahmed and Mukhtar Ansari. Both Ahmed and Ansari have had several criminal cases against them, including murder, procuring arms illegally, property-grabbing, and assault. Ahmed was killed in April 2023 while being escorted for a court-mandated medical check, while Ansari died in prison in March 2024, while serving his sentence to a heart attack.[82][83]
During the tenure of Akhilesh Yadav as chief minister from 2012 to 2017, a major scandal erupted on illegal sand-mining which involved then minister of state of mining Gayatri Prasad Prajapati. IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal began an operation in July 2013 to end illegal sand mining by conducting raids and seizing equipment.[84] Nagpal was later suspended by Akhilesh Yadav for demolishing a mosque wall that was in violation of Supreme Court rules, which was stated to be done out of malice.[85][86] The suspension was heavily condemned by leaders of opposition and several IAS officers; it was later revoked in September 2013.[87]
The Samajwadi Party has received widespread condemnation for its misogynistic and anti-women views, as well as opposing women's rights. In March 2010, the United Progressive Alliance government tried to pass the Women's Reservation Bill, which allowed 33% reservation quota to the women in the legislative bodies. Mulayam Singh Yadav opposed the bill and warned about withdrawing from the alliance, commenting that "if the bill is passed it will fill Parliament with the kind of women who invite catcalls and whistles".[88] Yadav echoed similar comments in November 2012, stating that "the bill will benefit only rich and attractive women of the society and not those coming poor families and villages".[89] The remarks was termed as sexist and heavily slammed by several political leaders from different parties, as well as his own party leaders.[90][91]
^G. C. Malhotra (26 September 2023). Anti-defection Law in India and the Commonwealth. [Published for] Lok Sabha Secretariat [by] Metropolitan Book Company. p. 570. ISBN9788120004061. Mulayan Singh Yadav, MLA, along with 22 other MLAs belonging to the Janata Party Legislature Party, in a letter addressed to the Speaker, intimated that there was a split in their original Party, in a letter addressed to the Speaker, intimated that there was a split in their original Party.
