<p>Lucknow: In a significant political development ahead of the next year's Lok Sabha polls, three time Samajwadi Party (SP) MP and influential OBC leader Ravi Prakash Verma on Monday joined the Congress.</p><p>Verma's daughter, Dr Poorvi Verma, who had contested the 2019 LS polls from Kheri parliamentary constituency on SP ticket, also joined the Congress in the presence of UP Congress president Ajay Rai and other senior leaders.</p><p>Ravi Prakash Verma told reporters after joining the grand old party that SP had 'deviated' from the principles of socialism and that old leaders were getting the respect they deserved in the party.</p>.SP, BSP and AAP are 'chunavi chidiya': Rajnath in Madhya Pradesh.<p>He said that the SP was passing through a ''transitional crisis''. ''Many those who recently joined the SP were given important posts in the party while senior leaders were ignored,'' he added.</p><p>Verma, who hailed from the electorally influential 'Kurmi' community, wielded considerable influence over the community, not only on his home turf of Lakhimpur Kheri district but also in the nearby districts, where the community voters had a sizable strength.</p><p>According to the sources in the Congress, Ravi Verma or his daughter Poorvi might be nominated by the party from Kheri LS seat in the 2024 LS elections. The departure of the father-daughter duo was a huge setback for the SP, as the Kheri LS constituency had a sizable number of 'Kurmi' voters.</p>.I.N.D.I.A bloc formed to unseat 'dictatorial regime' at Centre, politics in states different: Sena (UBT).<p>The entry of the duo in the Congress triggered a war of words between the Congress and the SP, both of whom were members of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) and were expected to contest the next LS polls in alliance.</p><p>While the SP leaders said that it was against the ''coalition dharma'' to 'poach' leaders of the friendly parties, Rai said that Congress did not believe in poaching but 'winning' the hearts of the people.</p><p>With the Congress eyeing more SP leaders in an apparent bid to increase its bargaining power ahead of the 2024 LS polls, the war of words between the two parties was only likely to intensify in the days to come.</p>
<p>Lucknow: In a significant political development ahead of the next year's Lok Sabha polls, three time Samajwadi Party (SP) MP and influential OBC leader Ravi Prakash Verma on Monday joined the Congress.</p><p>Verma's daughter, Dr Poorvi Verma, who had contested the 2019 LS polls from Kheri parliamentary constituency on SP ticket, also joined the Congress in the presence of UP Congress president Ajay Rai and other senior leaders.</p><p>Ravi Prakash Verma told reporters after joining the grand old party that SP had 'deviated' from the principles of socialism and that old leaders were getting the respect they deserved in the party.</p>.SP, BSP and AAP are 'chunavi chidiya': Rajnath in Madhya Pradesh.<p>He said that the SP was passing through a ''transitional crisis''. ''Many those who recently joined the SP were given important posts in the party while senior leaders were ignored,'' he added.</p><p>Verma, who hailed from the electorally influential 'Kurmi' community, wielded considerable influence over the community, not only on his home turf of Lakhimpur Kheri district but also in the nearby districts, where the community voters had a sizable strength.</p><p>According to the sources in the Congress, Ravi Verma or his daughter Poorvi might be nominated by the party from Kheri LS seat in the 2024 LS elections. The departure of the father-daughter duo was a huge setback for the SP, as the Kheri LS constituency had a sizable number of 'Kurmi' voters.</p>.I.N.D.I.A bloc formed to unseat 'dictatorial regime' at Centre, politics in states different: Sena (UBT).<p>The entry of the duo in the Congress triggered a war of words between the Congress and the SP, both of whom were members of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) and were expected to contest the next LS polls in alliance.</p><p>While the SP leaders said that it was against the ''coalition dharma'' to 'poach' leaders of the friendly parties, Rai said that Congress did not believe in poaching but 'winning' the hearts of the people.</p><p>With the Congress eyeing more SP leaders in an apparent bid to increase its bargaining power ahead of the 2024 LS polls, the war of words between the two parties was only likely to intensify in the days to come.</p>