Mayawati

Mayawati was born on 15 January 1956 in New Delhi. Her parents were Prabhu Das and Ramrati. Her autobiographical profile records a B.A. from Kalindi College, a B.Ed. from BMLG College in Ghaziabad and an LL.B. from Delhi University. It describes her work as a teacher and her association with BAMCEF from 1977 before she entered party politics through the Bahujan Samaj Party.

Mayawati won Bijnore in the 1989 Lok Sabha election and subsequently represented Akbarpur in Parliament. Her parliamentary career also included membership of the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh. She was elected to the state assembly in 1996 and 2002, representing Harora after winning more than one constituency on each occasion. She later entered the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council while serving as Chief Minister in 2007.

Mayawati first became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on 3 June 1995. Her second term began in March 1997 and her third in May 2002. She returned for a fourth term on 13 May 2007 and remained in office until 15 March 2012. The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council’s official chronology records these separate tenures rather than treating them as one continuous period in government.

Mayawati became national president of the BSP in September 2003, according to her autobiographical account. In August 2024, the party’s national executive in Lucknow elected her again for a five-year term. The public broadcaster reported that the decision was unanimous. Her stated political programme centres on social transformation and economic advancement of Bahujan communities, while her party leadership continues separately from her former government offices.