The Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to give 15 seats to its ally Nishad Party for the Uttar Pradesh elections. Another one of its ally Apna Dal will get to contest 18-20 seats.
Former Uttar Pradesh ministers and OBC leaders Swami Prasad Maurya and Dharam Singh Saini - who resigned this week from the Yogi Adityanath government and the ruling BJP just weeks before Assembly polls - on Friday joined the Samajwadi Party.
There is no more room in the Samajwadi Party for "any BJP MLA, minister anymore" - Akhilesh Yadav's words on Saturday morning, a day after he welcomed seven ex-lawmakers, including two ministers, who quit the Yogi Adityanath government.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, who rules Uttar Pradesh with an iron fist, is facing an exodus from its own party members just ahead of the crucial UP Assembly elections.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) had banned physical rallies till January 15 in view of rising COVID-19 cases. However, these guidelines were brazenly violated at a Samajwadi Party (SP) event on Friday (January 14). Even though it was said to be a "virtual rally", hundreds of people were seen at the event where several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders joined the SP.