Mayawati | |
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मायावती | |
National president of the Bahujan Samaj Party | |
Assumed office 18 September 2003 |
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Preceded by | Kanshi Ram |
MP of Rajya Sabha for Uttar Pradesh | |
Assumed office 3 April 2012 |
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Constituency | Uttar Pradesh |
17th Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh | |
In office 3 June 1995 – 18 October 1995 |
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Preceded by | Mulayam Singh Yadav |
Succeeded by | President's rule |
Constituency | Harora |
In office 21 March 1997 – 21 September 1997 |
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Preceded by | President's rule |
Succeeded by | Kalyan Singh |
Constituency | Harora |
In office 3 May 2002 – 29 August 2003 |
|
Preceded by | President's rule |
Succeeded by | Mulayam Singh Yadav |
In office 13 May 2007 – 15 March 2012 |
|
Preceded by | Mulayam Singh Yadav |
Succeeded by | Akhilesh Yadav |
Personal details | |
Born |
Mayawati Prabhu Das 15 January 1956 New Delhi |
Political party | Bahujan Samaj Party |
Residence | Lucknow |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Politician |
Religion | Hinduism |
Mayawati ( pronunciation ) (full name: Mayawati Prabhu Das, commonly known as Kumari Mayawati (Miss Mayawati), born 15 January 1956) is an Indian politician who served four times as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP). She is the national president of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which focuses on a platform of social change to improve the lives of the weakest strata of Indian society — the Bahujans or Dalits, Other Backward Classes, and religious minorities. She was Chief Minister briefly in 1995 and again in 1997, then from 2002 to 2003 and from 2007 to 2012.
Mayawati's rise from humble beginnings has been called a "miracle of democracy" by P. V. Narasimha Rao, former Prime Minister of India. In 1993 Kanshi Ram formed a coalition with the Samajwadi Party and Mayawati became the youngest Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1995. She was the first female Dalit Chief Minister in India. In 1997 and in 2002 she was Chief Minister in outside support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the second time only for a year up to 26 August 2003 due to BJP withdrawing support.
Mayawati's tenure has attracted praise and controversy. Millions of Dalits view her as an icon, and refer to her as Behen-ji (sister). She has been praised for her fundraising efforts on behalf of her party and her birthdays have been widely celebrated by her supporters. The rise in her personal wealth and that of her party have been criticised as indicative of corruption.