Dalits and Politics in Rural North India: The Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh
Author(s)
Duncan, Ian
Abstract
In the 1990’s the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has established a strong electoral presence in northern India. The BSP has been particularly successful in Uttar Pradesh, where it has participated in government three times in the 1990’s. Although the party seeks to mobilize the support of the bahujan – the nonhigh caste majority of the population – it has been constrained by its excessive reliance on just some sections of former untouchables (Dalits). The Bahujan Samaj Party represents a significant social and political movement of some Dalit groups, but it has failed to secure the support of the wider population of the rural poor.
