Mayawati

Mayawati Prabhu Das or simply Mayawati as she is known, is an Indian politician who is the chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). She had joined the party, which focuses on a platform of social change for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and other disadvantaged groups, in 1984 when Kanshi Ram, the founder of the party made her a member of his team. She served as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh four times (briefly in 1995, 1997, 2002-2003 and 2007-2012), becoming the youngest and first-ever female Dalit to become Chief Minister of any state.

As a politician, Mayawati supported reservation in both government and private sectors for backward classes, with an increase in quotas and inclusion of more communities such as religious minorities and economically weak upper castes.

POLITICAL CAREER:

In its first election campaign in 1984, BSP fielded Mayawati for the Lok Sabha seat of Kairana in the Muzaffarnagar district, for Bijnor in 1985, and for Haridwar in 1987. She was elected as the representative for Bijnor, with 183,189 votes, winning by 8,879 votes in 1989. She was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1994 and became Chief Minister of UP, in a short-lived coalition government, in 1995.

After winning the Lok Sabha election in two different constituencies in 1996, Mayawati then became Chief Minister again for a short period in 1997 and then from 2002 to 2003 in coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

AS BSP PRESIDENT:

Mayawati was named by Kanshi Ram as his successor on December 15, 2001 during a rally in Lucknow, and she was elected as national president of the BSP for her first term on September 18, 2003. She was then elected unopposed for a second consecutive term on August 27, 2006, for a third term on August 30, 2014, and for a fourth term on August 28, 2019.

PRAISE AND CONTROVERSIES:

As Chief Minister, Mayawati gained a reputation for efficient governance and for promoting law and order, especially at the time of the Ayodhya verdict in September–October 2010, during which her government maintained law and order and the state remained peaceful.

Where controversies are concerned, she came under the spotlight for irregularities, both financial and otherwise, in the improvements of the infrastructure of the Taj Heritage Corridor. This was followed by a disproportionate assets case, commissioning of several Bahujan monuments, and receiving flak from the World Bank for mismanagement of funds allotted for projects.

PERSONAL LIFE:

Mayawati was born on January 15, 1956 in New Delhi to Prabhu Das and Ram Rati and she has six brothers. She completed her B.A. in 1975 from Kalindi Women's College under the Delhi University, and her B.Ed. from VMLG College, Ghaziabad in 1976. Thereafter in 1983, she did her LLB from Delhi University. After completing her B.Ed. course in 1976, she started teaching students in Inderpuri JJ Colony, Delhi and was also preparing for the IAS exams.

SOCIAL:

Mayawati updates her followers through Twitter - Mayawati/@Mayawati.