Four SP MLCs join BJP ahead of UP elections

As the next assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh get closer, politicians have also begun party hopping, especially among those who were not certain of getting tickets from their respective parties.

In a major jolt to the Samajwadi Party (SP), four SP members of the UP Legislative Council along with some other senior party leaders on Wednesday joined the BJP.

The MLCs included Narendra Singh Bhati, C P Chand, Rama Devi and Ravi Shankar Singh. The terms of these MLCs were to end in March next year and there were indications that the SP might not re-nominate them for the Council.

Ravi Shankar Singh, who was an MLC from Ballia, is the grandson of former prime minister Chandra Shekhar.

While the BJP termed the defections a big jolt to the SP and claimed that their induction would strengthen the saffron party in their respective areas, the SP said that these leaders were "spent force" and that the party had already decided not to re-nominate them to the Council.

BJP leaders said that Bhati was an influential Gujjar leader and enjoyed support among the community in the western region of the state.

According to the sources, a few BSP MLCs were also expected to join the BJP in the next few days.

Barely a few days ago, six BSP MLAs and one BJP MLA joined the SP. The MLAs who had joined the SP included Sushma Patel, Hargovind Bhargav, Aslam Chaudhary, Aslam Raini, Hakim Lal Bind and Mujtaba Siddiqui (BSP) and Rakesh Rathore (BJP).

Before that two senior BSP leaders, including Ram Achal Rajbhar and Lalji Verma, both former UP ministers, had also joined the SP.

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