In October 1992, two disciples of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Beni Prasad Verma, founded the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh. They broke away from a faction of Janata Dal. SP is a major political force in Uttar Pradesh with a significant presence in some other states like Madhya Pradesh. Its support hails mainly from the Muslim community and other communities categorised as the Other Backward Classes (OBC). With ‘Samajwad’ (socialism) right there in its name the party claims to be a champion of an equal society.