In UP, It’s ‘Mela Hobe’: Jolt For BJP, 11 Resignations In 3 Days

Lucknow: The day didn’t begin well for the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh.

First, OBC leader Mukesh Verma, BJP MLA from Shikohabad Assembly constituency in Firozabad, resigned from the party.

Hours later, BJP MLA Vinay Shakya too quit the party.

Then came news that UP Minister and OBC leader Dharam Singh Saini too had quit the BJP. Saini was Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ayush, Food Security and Drug Administration.

BJP MLA Bala Avasthi too quit the party on Thursday, according to reports.

A day that saw a flurry of resignations from the BJP also ended with one. On Thursday night, Apna Dal MLA Chaudhary Amar Singh said he too had quit the BJP-led alliance in UP.

This is the 11th resignation for UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in three days.

On Wednesday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, welcoming Dara Singh Chauhan into his party after he resigned from the UP Cabinet, took a swipe at the BJP with “Mela Hobe”, drawing on from West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s “Khela Hobe.”

In the last three days, 10 BJP MLAs, including three ministers, have left the Adityanath government.

Minister and OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya was the first to resign, followed by MLAs Bhagwati Sagar, Raushan Lal Verma and Brijesh Prajapati.

On Wednesday, Chauhan along with MLA Awtar Singh Bhadana quit.

After tweeting his resignation on Thursday, Verma surfaced at the home of Maurya. In his resignation letter, Verma alleged neglect of Dalits, backward castes, minorities and other sections by the BJP in the state. He said that he will continue the “fight for justice” under Maurya.

Like Verma, Shakya too said that Maurya was their leader. “Swami Prasad Maurya is the voice of the downtrodden and he is our leader. I am with him,” Shakya wrote in his resignation letter.

Uttar Pradesh will vote in seven phases to elect 403 MLAs from February 10 to March 7.