Kushwaha is a community of the Indo-Gangetic Plain that has traditionally been involved in agriculture,including beekeeping. The term has been used to represent different sub-castes of the Kachhis,Kachhvahas,Koeris and Muraos. Under the Indian government's system of positive discrimination,the Kushwahas are classified as a "Backward" or Other backward class. The Kushwaha had worshipped Shiva and Shakta,but beginning in the 20th century,they claim descent from the Suryavansh (Solar) dynasty via Kusha,one of the twin sons of Rama and Sita. At present,it is a broad community formed by coming together of several caste groups with similar occupational backgrounds and socio-economic status,who,over the time,started inter-marrying among themselves and created all India caste network for caste solidarity. The communities which merged into this caste cluster includes Kachhi,Kachhwaha,Kushwaha,Mali,Marrar,Saini,Sonkar,Murai,Shakya,Maurya,Koeri and Panara.
Babu Singh Kushwaha 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. Kushwaha was at the center of controversy in the NRHM scam. 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.
Hari Kewal Prasad alternatively known as Hari Kewal Prasad Kushwaha was an Indian politician and Member of Parliament for four terms. He was a member of the 9th,10th,12th and the 14th Lok Sabhas of India. In all four terms,he represented the Salempur constituency of Uttar Pradesh and was a member of the Samajwadi Party political party before his death. and his son Ravindra Kushwaha is also currently Member of Parliament 2014 till now
Rashtriya Lok Samta Party was a political party in India led by Upendra Kushwaha. It was launched on 3 March 2013 and was based in the state of Bihar. The party came into existence as a result of a feud between Nitish Kumar and Upendra Kushwaha,after which Kushwaha left The Nitish Kumar lead Janata Dal (United) and formed his own party. It has faced multiple rebellions and desertions since 2015. After the relations between Nitish and Kushwaha normalized,Upendra Kushwaha merged RLSP into JDU on 14 March 2021,with this,the party ceased to exit.
Upendra Kumar Singh,commonly known as Upendra Kushwaha is an Indian politician,and a former Member of Bihar Legislative Council and Bihar Legislative Assembly. He has also served as Minister of State for Human Resources and Development in the Government of India. Kushwaha is a former Member of Parliament (MP) from the Karakat constituency in Rohtas district,Bihar,and a former member of the Rajya Sabha. He was the leader of Rashtriya Samata Party (RSP),his own party,which merged into Janata Dal (United) (JDU) in 2009. Later,he formed Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP),which also merged with JD(U) in 2021. On 20 February 2023,Kushwaha resigned from all positions in Janata Dal (United) and formed his own party called Rashtriya Lok Morcha due to his political problems with JD(U) and Nitish Kumar.
Santosh Kumar alias Santosh Kushwaha is an Indian politician and a former Member of Parliament representing the Purnia constituency in Bihar. He was first elected in the 2014 Indian general election,having run as the Janata Dal (United) candidate in the constituency. In 2010 he was also elected as Member of Legislative assembly of the Baisi of Purnea district as a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate. One month before 2014 lok sabha election he joined JD(U) as he was nominated as the party candidate for Lok Sabha election for Purnea constituency.
Keshav Prasad Maurya is an Indian politician,currently serving as the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Maurya was associated with a right-wing Hindu organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh,before entering active politics through BJP. He was also involved in cow protectionism in his early life. Before 2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections,he was made state president of the BJP,and after the victory of BJP,he was appointed as Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in the first Yogi Adityanath Government. Maurya again contested the legislative assembly elections in 2022 from Sirathu Assembly constituency,losing to Pallavi Patel of Samajwadi Party. However,he was given a second term as Deputy CM in the second Yogi Adityanath government.
Swami Prasad Maurya is an Indian politician and was a member of the 17th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh of India. He represented the Padrauna constituency of Uttar Pradesh. He was a member of Samajwadi Party till 2024 to which he resigned. Maurya has been a Member of the legislative assembly for five terms,has been a minister in the government of Uttar Pradesh,Leader of the house,and Leader of the opposition. He was serving as Cabinet Minister for Labour,Employment and Co-ordination in Yogi Adityanath ministry. Until 2021,he was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party which he joined after a long stint with Bahujan Samaj Party.
The election to the 17th Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly was held from 11 February to 8 March 2017 in 7 phases. This election saw a voter turnout of 61.11% compared to 59.40% in the previous election. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the election by an overwhelming three-quarters majority of 325 seats despite not projecting a chief ministerial candidate before the election. As part of its election strategy,BJP contested under a collective leadership and capitalised mostly on the political clout and 'brand' of its leader Narendra Modi.
Khadda is a constituency of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly covering the city of Khadda in the Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh,India.
Fazilnagar is a constituency of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly covering the city of Fazilnagar in the Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh,India.
Samrat Choudhary,also known by his alias Rakesh Kumar is an Indian politician,who is currently serving as Deputy Chief minister of Bihar under Nitish Kumar. He is a member of the Bihar Legislative Council from the Bharatiya Janata Party. He has been the party president of BJP Bihar State unit from March 2023 to 25 July 2024. He has also remained Member of Legislative Assembly and a minister in Government of Bihar in Rashtriya Janata Dal government. Chaudhary has been a former Vice President of BJP for the state of Bihar and currently elected for the second term as MLC in 2020 after his first term ended in 2019. In 2014,Samrat planned a split in Rashtriya Janata Dal by defecting thirteen MLAs as splinter group of the party,later joining the BJP. In 2022,he was selected as the Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Council. In 2024,he was also made the convener of Group of Ministers on Goods and Service Tax rate rationalisation panel.
Salona Kushwaha is an Indian politician and a member of the Eighteenth Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh in India. She represents the Tilhar constituency of Uttar Pradesh and is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Surendra Chaurasia is a farmer,turned politician of the Bhartiya Janata Party who is an elected member from Rampur Karkhana Assembly constituency in 2022 in Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh.
Maurya is a surname used by Kushwaha caste in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The community called Kushwaha are also known as Koeri,Kachhi,Shakya,Murao and Saini in various parts of the state of Uttar Pradesh. They are second largest OBC group in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh after Yadavs and are one of the most politically organised peasant community in India after Jats,Yadavs and Kurmis. In Rajasthan,due to lack of numerical preponderance in assembly constituencies like Jats,they are underrepresented in politics;however,in Bihar,they are a dominant caste,comprising approximately 9 percent of the population of state. They wield influence over 63 assembly constituencies and half a dozen Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.
Kushwaha is a surname used by people of Koeri caste in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The Kushwahas are also known as Maurya,Shakya,Saini in various parts of north India. As per one opinion,the Kushwaha surname is also common among members of Kachhi caste,who later merged with the Koeris to become a single homogeneous community. They are a dominant OBC community in the state of Bihar.
Shakya is an Indian surname and is part of the broader Kushwaha community including other surnames like Maurya,Kachhi,Saini,Koeri etc,who collectively assert descent from Kusha,a son of the avatar of Vishnu,Rama. This caste group is considered as one of the most numerous OBC castes in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It is estimated that they are distributed across the states,in almost all assembly constituencies. In Uttar Pradesh,they have preponderance in Etah Lok Sabha constituency.
Saini is an Indian surname,used by various communities in North India. In Uttar Pradesh,it is used by people of Kushwaha or the Koeri caste. In Rajasthan and Haryana,it is most often associated with Mali caste. Saini is also a community of Punjab,included in state's list of Other Backward Class from 2016 onwards. In Haryana term Saini is considered synonymous with other terms such as Koeri,Kushwaha,Maurya and Shakya,all included in state's list of Backward Castes.
Dev Dyal Kushwaha was an Indian politician,who served as first agriculture minister for the state of Jharkhand,after its formation. He was appointed as Minister for Agriculture in first Jharkhand government,which was led by Babu Lal Marandi. Kushwaha was a leader of Bhartiya Janata Party,who represented Hazaribagh Sadar Assembly constituency as Member of Legislative Assembly for three times. Before joining active politics he was associated with pedagogy. Kushwaha won the assembly elections of 1990,1995 and 2000 from Hazaribagh Assembly constituency. Besides,Babu Lal Marandi's cabinet,he also served as a minister in Arjun Munda's cabinet. In 2005 Jharkhand Assembly elections,he was defeated by Saurabh Narain Singh—the grandson of Kamakhya Narain Singh.
Ram Naresh Kushwaha was an Indian social activist,politician,and writer of Hindi literature,who served as a Member of Parliament (1977). In Uttar Pradesh,he held organizational positions under the Socialist Party,Praja Socialist Party,Samyukta Socialist Party,and Bhartiya Lok Dal during his political career (1964-1997).
