Lagatar24 Desk
Lucknow, Nov.17: In a major setback for the Samajwadi Party ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, four MLCs from the party joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday in the presence of Deputy Chief Ministers Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya, as well as the party’s State Chief Swatantra Dev Singh. Ravi Shankar Singh Pappu, CP Chand, Akshay Pratap Singh, and Ram Niranjan are the four leaders.
They are all Vidhan Parishad members who were elected by local bodies. Their contracts will expire in March of the following year. All of these leaders have significant clout in their respective fields. They feel that with BJP support, they will be able to win reelection easily next year.
Ravi Shankar Singh Pappu is the nephew of former Prime Minister late Chandra Shekhar. It may be recalled that late Chandra Shekhar’s son Neeraj Shekhar has already joined the BJP. CP Chand is the son of former Minister Markanday Chand. Akshay Pratap Singh is cousin of former minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh (Raja Bhaiyya).
Brijesh Singh ‘Princu,’ a BSP MLC from Jaunpur, is also switching allegiances to the BJP. Former BSP MP Dhananjay Singh considers him a close friend.
Surprisingly, most of the BJP’s new leaders come from the Thakur community. Their joining the BJP is likely to provide the ruling party a big boost after suffering defeats in the panchayat elections earlier this year.
