Babu Singh Kushwaha (born 7 May 1966) is an Indian politician from Uttar Pradesh, serving as chief of the Jan Adhikar Party and former Family Welfare Minister in the Uttar Pradesh government under Mayawati. He was also one of Behenji’s trusted backroom boys, who besides working at the grassroots looked after the party’s administrative affairs.[1] Kushwaha was at the center of controversy in the NRHM scam.[2] In the 2024 Indian general election, he won from the Jaunpur Lok Sabha constituency on the symbol of Samajwadi Party, becoming a member of Lok Sabha for the first time.[3]
Babu Singh Kushwaha | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Deputy Leader, Samajwadi Party in Lok Sabha | |
| Assumed office 30 July 2024 | |
| Leader | Akhilesh Yadav |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| Assumed office 4 June 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Shyam Singh Yadav |
| Constituency | Jaunpur |
| Cabinet Minister Government of Uttar Pradesh | |
| In office 13 May 2007 – 8 April 2011 | |
| Chief Minister | Mayawati |
| Ministry & Department's |
|
| In office 11 October 2002 – 28 May 2003 | |
| Chief Minister | Mayawati |
| Ministry & Department's |
|
| Member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council | |
| In office 6 May 2000 – 5 May 2012 | |
| Constituency | elected by MLA'S |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 May 1966 Pakhrauli, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Political party | Jan Adhikar Party (2016-Present) |
| Other political affiliations | Bahujan Samaj Party
(1984-2011) (2024-Present) |
| Spouse | Shivkanya Kushwaha |
| Children | 4 |
| Profession | Politician |
| Website | https://www.janadhikarparty.org/ |
Background
editKushwaha belonged to a farming family in Pakhrauli village of Banda district, and graduated in 1985. After this, he started his life by putting a dump in Atarra. In April 1988, he came in contact with BSP founder Kanshi Ram. Kanshi Ram called him to Delhi.[4]
Within six months, he was promoted and sent to do organization work in the Lucknow office. He became the District President of Banda in 1993. In 2003, he was made the Minister of Panchayati Raj in the BSP government.[4]
In 2007, when BSP came to power with an absolute majority, Kushwaha was appointed to important departments like minerals, appointments, and cooperatives. When the Department of Family Welfare was formed, this department was also handed over to him.[4] He was among one of the three pillars of the Bahujan Samaj Party when Mayawati was at the peak of her political career along with Swami Prasad Maurya and Nasimuddin Siddiqui.[5]
Political journey
editKushwaha had been a member of Bahujan Samaj Party for 27 years. He was for years perceived as the closest to Mayawati. He was a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and was also appointed as a cabinet minister twice.[6] Kushwaha was the second most powerful person in the Bahujan Samaj Party.[7] After the successive murders of two medical officers in Lucknow he blew the lid off the giant National Rural Health Mission scam. He had held the portfolio of the Family Welfare, Mining, Panchayati Raj and several other departments before resigning.[8]
Kushwaha joined the BJP in the presence of senior leaders Vinay Katiyar and Surya Pratap Shahi, but his induction resulted in voices of dissent in the party, after which he wrote a letter to BJP national president Nitin Gadkari requesting him to suspend his membership until proven innocent. Kushwaha formed the political party Jan Adhikar Party in 2016.[8]
His wife Shivkanya Kushwaha contested for Ghazipur Lok Sabha constituency from the Samajwadi Party (SP) in 2014 and received 27.82% of votes.[9]
Jan Adhikar Party
editBabu Singh Kushwaha founded the Jan Adhikar party on 9 December 2016, with the ideology to provide equal rights to all sections of society according to their population. The party aims to empower all the deprived, exploited, laborers, farmers, poor, and women and to provide them with their rights. The main objective of the party is to release the caste census report and to give a share in all the resources of the country to all the sections in proportion to the population.[10]
His Jan Adhikar Party was a part of the coalition Bhagidari Parivartan Morcha in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections. The party did not manage to win any seats in the elections of Uttar Pradesh.[11][12]
2024 General elections
editKushwaha won the 2024 general election from Jaunpur Lok Sabha Constituency on Samajwadi Party Symbol.[13] His Jan Adhikar Party is a part of the INDIA Alliance .[14][15]
After his victory, it was reported that despite being supported by muscleman politician Dhananjay Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Kripa Shankar Singh was unable to take an edge over Kushwaha. He was defeated by over 99,000 votes. Sitting member of parliament and Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Shyam Singh Yadav finished in third position.[16]
Soon after his election to Lok Sabha, he was made the deputy leader of Samajwadi Party in the Lok Sabha by Akhilesh Yadav.[17]
References
edit- ^ "This Way To New Delhi?". Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- ^ "I'm being trapped into NRHM scam: Kushwaha". 30 January 2012. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ "जौनपुर लोकसभा सीट पर बाबू सिंह कुशवाहा जीते:भाजपा के कृपाशंकर सिंह को 99335 वोट से हराया, कहा- विकास के लिए काम करूंगा". Bhaskar. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ a b c "From Kanshiram's ward to Mayawati's right hand to a man without a party". Indian express. 30 November 2011. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ Pratip Chattopadhyay; Yatindra Singh Sisodia, eds. (23 November 2022). Political Communication in Contemporary India: Locating Democracy and Governance. India: Taylor & Francis. p. 55. ISBN 9781000801392. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "I'm being trapped into NRHM scam: Kushwaha-India News". Firstpost. 30 January 2012. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ "Mayawati May Bring Back Scam-Tainted Ex-BSP Strongman Babu Singh Kushwaha Before 2019". News18. 3 April 2018. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ a b "BSP bid to take NRHM tainted Kushwaha back in". The Times of India. 22 May 2017. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ "Induction of Kushwaha kin in SP may affect probe against him: Lokayukta". Indian express. 16 July 2013. Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ "Manifesto of Jan Adhikar Party". Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "नोटा के वोट प्रतिशत का आंकड़ा तोड़ नही पाए छोटे दल". Amar Ujala (in Hindi). Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ "2022 Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha election trends". results.eci.gov.in. Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ "Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha Election Results 2024 Highlights: Babu Singh Kushwaha Wins by a Margin of 99335 Votes". India Today. 4 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Babu Singh Kushwaha to contest from Jaunpur". Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ "Jaunpur Election Result 2024 Live Updates: SP's Babu Singh Kushwaha Has Won This Lok Sabha Seat". The quint. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "Jaunpur Results 2024: जौनपुर लोकसभा सीट पर धनंजय सिंह का साथ भी नहीं आया काम, भाजपा के कृपाशंकर सिंह हारे, सपा के बाबू जीते". Hindustan. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "Babu Singh Kushwaha made the deputy leader of Samajwadi Party". Retrieved 10 September 2024.
Further reading
edit- "NRHM scam: 2 former UP ministers to appear before CBI". The Indian Express. New Delhi, India. 26 December 2011.