Big blow to Congress, Samajwadi Party ahead of UP Assembly polls 2022, three leaders join BJP

Photo: BJP

New Delhi: Ahead of the much-awaited Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) faced a big blow as three of their leaders joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday (January 12, 2022).

Congress MLA Naresh Saini, Samajwadi Party MLA Hariom Yadav and former SP MLA Dharmpal Yadav joined BJP at its party headquarters in New Delhi.

The three leaders were welcomed in the presence of Uttar Pradesh BJP President Swatantra Dev Singh and deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma.

Congress MLA Shri Naresh Saini, Samajwadi Party MLA Shri Hariom Yadav and former Samajwadi Party MLA Shri Dharmpal Yadav #JoinBJP at party headquarters in New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/0vUKXm0nSH

— BJP (@BJP4India) January 12, 2022

This, notably, comes a day after OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya resigned from the Yogi cabinet and three other MLAs announced that they are quitting the party.

While Maurya has said that he will join the Samajwadi Party on January 14, Tindwari MLA Brajesh Prajapati, Tilhar's Roshan Lal Varma and Bilhaur's Bhagwati Sagar announced that they are leaving the BJP in Maurya's support.

दलितों, पिछड़ों, किसानों, बेरोजगार नौजवानों एवं छोटे-लघु एवं मध्यम श्रेणी के व्यापारियों की घोर उपेक्षात्मक रवैये के कारण उत्तर प्रदेश के योगी मंत्रिमंडल से इस्तीफा देता हूं। pic.twitter.com/ubw4oKMK7t

— Swami Prasad Maurya (@SwamiPMaurya) January 11, 2022

सामाजिक न्याय और समता-समानता की लड़ाई लड़ने वाले लोकप्रिय नेता श्री स्वामी प्रसाद मौर्या जी एवं उनके साथ आने वाले अन्य सभी नेताओं, कार्यकर्ताओं और समर्थकों का सपा में ससम्मान हार्दिक स्वागत एवं अभिनंदन!

सामाजिक न्याय का इंक़लाब होगा ~ बाइस में बदलाव होगा#बाइसमेंबाइसिकल pic.twitter.com/BPvSK3GEDQ

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) January 11, 2022

Elections for the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly will be held in seven phases. The polling will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, and March 3 and 7.

The counting of votes will take place on March 10.

Earlier in the 2017 Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party had bagged 312 seats while the SP had won 47, Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) 19 and Congress could manage to win only seven seats. The rest of the seats were bagged by other candidates.