The Politics in Uttar Pradesh has not only revolutionized the various aspects of life in Uttar Pradesh but also procured eminent names to the politics of India as well. As a matter of fact, eight Prime Ministers out of the grand total of fourteen so far have descended from the territorial dominion of Uttar Pradesh. Arranged in chronological order the list reads as :-
- Jawahar Lal Nehru.
- Lal Bahadur Shrastri.
- Indira Gandhi.
- Rajiv Gandhi
- Choudhury Charan Singh
- Vishwanath Pratap Singh.
- Chandra Shekhar.
- Atal Behari Vajpayee.
Board & Commissions
All total there are five Boards and Commissions in Uttar Pradesh. Out of these there are three Boards and two Commissions. The Uttar Pradesh Boards and Commissions are described below :
- Uttar Pradesh Housing and Development Board : This board was set up in April 1966 started working towards offering housing solutions but with time it has entered into planning, designing, construction and development of development projects throughout Uttar Pradesh. This board has proved its capabilities by winning national level housing competitions arranged by HUDCO in the year 1976 and 1979.
- Uttar Pradesh Khadi and Village Industries Board (UPKVIB) : It is the board whose main mission is to industrialize the rural areas of Uttar Pradesh and generate self employment in Uttar Pradesh.
- Uttar Pradesh State Agricultural Marketing Board : This board was set up in the year 1973 to coordinate, curb and direct various activities and welfare plans of agricultural markets. The board has helped the farmers in getting the fair price for their crops by implementing various acts and laws in the most efficient way.
- Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission : This commission was set up in the year 1999 after the Uttar Pradesh Government had enacted the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Reform Act 1999. The commission aims at providing electricity at the most effective price and quality so as to protect the consumer interests and support the economic development of Uttar Pradesh.
- Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission : This commission was set up on 1st April 1937. The main aim of this commission is to select suitable candidates for civil services in Uttar Pradesh.
Political Parties
National Parties
National Parties are those political parties which have been recognized in more than four states. Political parties are recognized as national parties by the Election Commission of India who monitors the elections in different states. There are many national parties in Uttar Pradesh which have played an important role in shaping up Uttar Pradesh as it is today.
Following is a small brief on all the significant national parties in Uttar Pradesh :
- Bahujan Samaj Party : BSP as it is widely known as, was founded by the late Kanshi Ram in 1984 to represent the Dalits. Currently, Kumari Mayawati is the President of the party. Recently, the party won the Uttar Pradesh state assembly election and she took over the chair of the Chief Minister.
- Bharatiya Janata Party : BJP as it is famously known as, was created in the year 1980 and represents basically the Hindu majority of the country. BJP works in alliance with the Sangha Parivar. In Uttar Pradesh, BJP is one of the active parties and had played a very big role in the Ram Janbhoomi case.
- Communist Party of India : CPI as it is widely known as, was founded in 1925 but as per CPI(M) which moved out of it, the party was formed in 1920 in USSR. Currently, they are supporting the Indian National Congress led United Progressive Alliance government but without being a part of it.
- Indian National Congress : Popularly known as INC, this is the oldest party of India which participated in the national freedom struggle. INC was also a major contender at this years Uttar Pradesh State assembly elections.
- Nationalist Congress Party : NCP as it is known to most, was founded by Shri Sharad Pawar after he separated from INC for not accepting an Italian born as their leader. The president of NCP in Uttar Pradesh is Shri D.P.Tripathi.
- Communist Party of India (Marxist) : CPI(M) as it is widely known, was formed in the year 1964. The CPI(M) mixes the anti-imperialist struggle with the revolutionary legacy of the undivided Communist Party.
Regional parties
There are many regional parties in Uttar Pradesh. Many of these regional parties have established a strong hold in the politics of Uttar Pradesh. Such regional parties have been keeping a watchful eye on the state government. Though they have not been recognized in four or more than that number of states, they have actively been recognized in the respective states from where they fight elections.
Given below is a brief on such two regional parties in Uttar Pradesh :
- Samajwadi Party : Popularly known as SP, it is one of the largest regional party in India. This party was set up in the year 1992 when Janata Dal was broken into several different regional parties. Samajwadi Party is led by Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav. Till the Uttar Pradesh State Assemble elections held this year, Samajwadi Party was the ruling party as it had set up the government after winning the last assembly elections in 2002. But in the 2007 polls, Samajwadi Party was thrashed by the Bahujan Samaj Party by a very vast difference and Shri Mulayam Singh had to resign from his post of Chief Minister. This party has always presented itself as a democratic socialist party.
- Rashtriya Lok Dal: Also known as RLD, this regional party of Uttar Pradesh is led by Shri Ajit Singh and was an alliance of Samajwadi Party. It gave support to the latter's government in Uttar Pradesh. This regional party of Uttar Pradesh claims to be carrying on the legacy of Shri Charan Singh and the original Lok Dal from which it separated. The party has a very strong hold over the Jats in the western part of Uttar Pradesh.
