In a major setback to Former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, two Samajwadi Party (SP) MLAs Pooja Pal and Indrajit Saroj are likely to join the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in the next four to five days. Additionally, reports claim that BJP leaders are in touch with many SP MLAs who want to switch camps and ditch the sinking ship of Akhilesh Yadav-led SP.
These reports claim that BJP wants to dent Akhilesh Yadav’s camp every month till the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. A report in TV9 Bharatvarsh stated that UP BJP has permitted its four senior state leaders to remain in touch with disgruntled SP leaders and dent SP’s cycle before the crucial general elections.
The report adds that NDA’s latest entrant Om Prakash Rajbhar has also been entrusted with this responsibility. According to a National general secretary of BJP, around fourteen SP MLAs are in touch with him and they want to join the saffron party. The senior BJP functionary asserted that most of them belong to backward castes and Dalit communities.
In line with this, two SP MLAs – Pooja Pal and Indrajit Saroj have made up their mind to switch to the BJP as early as this week.
SP MLA from the Chail assembly seat, Pooja Pal will reportedly join the BJP on the 31st of July. Reports suggest that she will be accompanied by many more SP leaders and party cadres.
SP विधायक पूजा पाल 31 जुलाई को ज्वाइन कर सकती हैं BJP….#poojapal #BJP pic.twitter.com/ui3QuNSIIO
— News18 Uttar Pradesh (@News18UP) July 29, 2023
For those unversed, Pooja Pal is the wife of late BSP MLA Raju Pal who was killed by gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his gang in 2005.
Chail MLA Pooja Pal had become disillusioned with the Samajwadi Party following the daylight murder of Umesh Pal, a key witness in the Raju Pal murder case. During the investigation, it was revealed that Umesh Pal was murdered by Atiq Ahmed’s henchmen. When several SP leaders defended Atiq Ahmed in this case, Pooja Pal was disheartened by their stand.
Notably, Pooja Pal’s husband Raju Pal was a BSP MLA from Allahabad Western seat, back then. They got married on 16 January 2005. However, Raju Pal was killed in broad daylight in Prayagraj after nine days of marriage by Atiq Ahmed’s gang.
Following the murder of Raju Pal, Pooja Pal was elected twice as MLA from Allahabad West seat. Both times she managed to win the election on a BSP ticket. However, when Atiq Ahmed joined BSP, she left BSP to join the SP camp.
In the 2022 assembly elections, she contested the Chail assembly seat in the Kaushambi district from an SP ticket and won from there. However, following the killing of Umesh Pal and SP’s stand on Atiq Ahmed forced her to ditch the party.
Four-time MLA Indrajit Saroj will also join BJP
The second MLA likely to switch camps, this week, is Indrajit Saroj. He is an MLA from Manjhanpur in Kaushambi district and is a four-time MLA. He was once very close to Former UP CM and BSP Chief Mayawati. However, in recent times, he was hailed as a close confidant of Akhilesh Yadav. He hails from the Pasi community and is currently the national general secretary of the Samajwadi Party.
He has a good sway among voters from the Pasi community in Prayagraj and nearby districts. He got his training in politics from BSP founder Kanshi Ram. He left the BSP in the year 2018 and joined the Samajwadi Party and is all likely to join the BJP this week.
However, on account of switching parties, both Indrajit Saroj and Pooja Pal would have to relinquish their membership in the legislative assembly.
Earlier, this month, MLA and former minister Dara Singh Chauhan left the Samajwadi Party and joined BJP. It is important to note that BJP is working on a plan to win all 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and for that, it is solidifying its chances from all aspects.
