Position in State and National Politics
Although formerly aligned with the Indian National Congress (INC), Samajwadi formed an alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Lok Janshakti Party of Bihar which is not at all acceptable to the INC.
The Samajwadi Party supports Indian National Congress from outside at the National level. It's stated ideology has made it stay away from any alliances with Bharatiya Janata Party which is another National Party at the centre currently in opposition. It is currently the 3rd largest party in parliament. But its main rival in Uttar Pradesh is Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) which has emerged as a major political force in the state. The BSP primarily focuses on Dalit and backward caste votes. The Samajwadi Party continues to be the third largest party. In general elections, 2009, it bagged 23 seats coming behind the Indian National Congress with 206 seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party with 116 seats.
In West Bengal, West Bengal Socialist Party of Kiranmoy Nanda had merged with SP. As of now, SP has 1 MLA in West Bengal, 3 MLAs in Maharashtra, 2 MLAs in Bihar and one MLA (after 2008 polls) in Madhya Pradesh.
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