Question

Who is the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)?
(A) Kanshi Ram
(B) Mayawati
(C) Jagjivan Ram
(D) None of these

Answer 1

Hint: Bahujan Samaj Party was formed in 1984. Its symbol is an elephant. It represents and secures power for the bahujan samaj which includes OBCs, dalits, adivasis, and religious minority communities.

Complete step-by-step solution:
There are two kinds of political parties followed by a federal system of democracy, the first is the one in which only one federal unit is present and the second category is in which parties are present in several or all units of the federation. Hence, the Bahujan Samaj Party is a national party.
In 1984, Kanshi Ram found the Bahujan Samaj Party. Since this party is formed mainly for the Bahujan Samaj, it drew its inspiration from Babasaheb Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, Periyar Ramaswami Naicker. This party stands for the cause of securing the welfare and interests of the dalits and oppressed people. The state of Uttar Pradesh comprises the main base of the party and the party also has a substantial presence in neighbouring states like Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chattisgarh, and Delhi. By taking the support of different parties at different times, it has formed a government in Uttar Pradesh several times. In the Lok Sabha elections held in 2004, it secured around 19 seats in the Lok Sabha and polled about 5 percent.

Thus, option (A) is correct.

Note: A group of people who come together to hold power in the government and contest elections is collectively known as a political party. National parties have their units in various places. But, all these units have the same strategy, ideology, policies, and programs that are decided at the national level.