Lucknow, Jan 11 (IANS) In a major jolt to the BJP in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Assembly elections, Cabinet Minister Swami Prasad Maurya resigned from office on Tuesday.
His daughter Sanghmitra Maurya is a BJP MP from Badaun.
Sources said that Swami Prasad Maurya was likely to join Samajwadi Party.
In his resignation letter, he said that he was upset at the side lining of Dalits and weaker sections of society.
He had been upset because his son Utkarsh Maurya had not been “suitably accommodated” in the Yogi Adityanath government.
Swami Prasad Maurya, once one of the senior-most leader in the Bahujan Samaj Party, had joined the BJP just before the 2017 Assembly elections.
He won the Padrauna seat on a BJP ticket in 2017 and was made Labour Minister.
Sources close to Swami Prasad Maurya said that Sanghmitra Maurya would remain in BJP “for the time being”.
Swami Prasad Maurya resignation and his likely joining the Samajwadi Party is a major jolt for the BJP since he remains popular in his community.
Another BJP MLA Roshan Lal Varma (Shahjahanpur) has said that he will leave the BJP at an ‘appropriate time’.
Roshan Lal Varma, who came to Raj Bhawan with Swami Prasad Maurya’s resignation letter, said that Maurya was unwell and hence he had brought the resignation of Maurya.
He said Maurya had already emailed his resignation to the Governor.
Replying to a question, he said, “I will decide after Maurya’s resignation is accepted. About other MLAs, you will come to know by January 14.”
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav tweeted his photograph with Maurya, confirming that the latter would join the SP.
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