to fight elections. All its candidates who contested elections in future did so as “independent” candidates. Additionally, the party faced severe financial constraints. The Party was a total failure in all elections it fought. In February 1995 for the Maharashtra State Assembly it fielded candidates in 202 constituencies. Only two won – Dilip Borse from Satana and Wamanrao Chatap from Rajura. Chatap had won earlier in 1990; this was his second term. In 1996 Lok Sabha elections Party fielded 17 candidates. They all lost. In September 1999 elections were held in Maharashtra simultaneously for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha (Assembly). Party fielded two candidates for Lok Sabha and five for Vidhan Sabha. All lost.
It was fairly clear that the Party had no political future. Voters never took it seriously. In a way, Joshi knew it from the beginning. Expressing raison d’être for the Party he had said, ‘We know that our ideology is politically impossible. In our country votes are given to those who say that “I will give you a zunka-bhakar stall” or “I will give you rice at rupees two a kilo.” But the person who says, “If you have the guts and willingness to work hard, we shall create a system where you will get the right fruit for your work”, will not get votes. But still we have to keep expressing our views. The role of Swatantra Bharat Paksh is to keep the flag flying until what is politically impossible today, becomes economically inevitable.’ On 28 May 2003, the first convention of SBP took place at Shivaji Park, Mumbai. Its election manifesto was a brilliant document and expressed Joshi’s overall thinking. The basic tenets of SBP are worth reproducing here : 1. All men are created unique though not unequal. Search for New Ways
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