- published: 05 Dec 2012
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Samajwadi Party (literally, Socialist Party) is a regional political party in India based in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh founded on October 4, 1992. It describes itself as a democratic socialist party and is mainly representing the interests of a caste grouping called Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
The Samajwadi Party was one of several parties that emerged when the Janata Dal (People's League), India's primary opposition party prior to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), fragmented into several regional parties. The Samajwadi Party is led by ageing former wrestler Mulayam Singh Yadav, a former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and former defence minister of the country.
The Samajwadi Party is primarily based in Uttar Pradesh. Its support is largely based on OBCs (Other Backward Castes), particularly Mulayam Singh Yadav's own Yadav caste, and Muslims. It has contested Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections around the country, though its successes have been mainly in Uttar Pradesh. In the assembly election in Madhya Pradesh in 2003, the Samajwadi Party gained 7 seats, making it the third largest party in the state. When its candidate won the by-election of Lanji (Balaghat) in 2007, its total tally reached 8.