Third UP Minister resigns, walks into Akhilesh's SP

Lucknow, January 13, 2022

Uttar Pradesh Minister Dharam Singh Saini resigned from the Yogi Adityanath cabinet and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today, becoming the third minister, after Swami Prasad Maurya and Dara Singh Chauhan, to quit the ruling party in as many days.

About half a dozen other MLAs have also quit the BJP in the last few days and seem headed for the Samajwadi Party, like the three former Ministers. One legislator joined the RLD.

Saini, who represents the Nakud Assembly seat, has returned the security cover and residence allotted to him by the state government.

Saini was the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ayush, Food Security and Drug Administration.

After sending his resignation to the Governor, he went to meet Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.

Interestingly, in his resignation letter, Saini levelled the same allegation that some other legislators had levelled against the Yogi government.

He said he was resigning due to "gross neglect" towards Dalits, backwards, farmers, unemployed youth and small traders.

The BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit has witnessed a string of defections over the last few days, starting with cabinet minister Swami Prasad Maurya. At the time, Maurya had said that many more legislators would follow suit.

After some legislators belonging to the OBC category left the BJP, a Brahmin MLA Bala Prasad Awasthi has also walked into the Samajwadi Party fold.

Awasthi is a four-term MLA from Lakhimpur Kheri and a known Brahmin face in the Terai region. He also met Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday afternoon.

Earlier, Swami Prasad Maurya, Dara Singh Chauhan (both ministers) Roshan Lal Varma, Brijendra Prajapati, Bhagwati Sharan Sagar, Vinay Shakya and Avatar Singh Bhadana had left the party in the past two days.

On Thursday, Mukesh Varma from Firozabad sent in his resignation. Then Dharam Singh Saini followed suit.

IANS