Lucknow: Samajwadi Party MLA Pooja Pal paid the price for publicly praising Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Hours after Pooja said in the state Assembly that Yogi’s ‘zero-tolerance’ policies helped deliver justice to women like her in Prayagraj, she was expelled from the party.
“I want to thank the chief minister for giving me justice when no one else listened,” said Pooja, lauding Yogi for acting against criminals like Atiq Ahmed, who she accused of killing her husband.
However, her party didn’t take it well, and took strict action.
An official expulsion letter, signed by Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav and dated 14 August 2025, cited her “anti-party activities” and “serious indiscipline” as reasons for her removal.
The letter stated that despite warnings, Pooja did not cease her activities, causing “considerable harm to the party.” She has been removed from all party positions and will not be invited to any SP program or meeting hereafter.
Responding to her party’s action, Pooja said, “Perhaps you could not hear the women in Prayagraj who were even more worried than me. But I am their voice.”
Pooja, who was elected from Allahabad West constituency in 2022, said that she got votes to speak for mothers and sisters who lost loved ones and that the Chief Minister had delivered justice to all affected by Atiq Ahmed, not just her.
Pooja’s husband Raju Pal was gunned down in broad daylight after he defeated Mohammad Ashraf in the 2004 elections in Allahabad West. Ashraf, who was the prime accused in the murder of Raju, became MLA subsequently. However, Ashraf lost to Pooja in the 2007 Vidhan Sabha poll.
“I have been saying this from day one, even when I was in the party. I stand by my statement even today. I became an MLA later, but I was first a victim, a woman, a wife. We could not stand the incident that occurred to us… I, too, belong to a backward community, I was troubled. I stepped out of my house after my husband was killed in broad daylight. I was a newlywed bride, and there was nobody at home. They have proven they are completely against public display of affection (PDA).”
