The pre-poll churning in Uttar Pradesh has seen the BJP getting a jolt with six MLAs resigning from the party and three ministers quitting the government amid signals that they will join Samajwadi Party.
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Dharam Singh Saini, who resigned as minister in Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday, said that they wlll follow Swami Prasad Maurya and clamed a minister and 3-4 MLAs will resign everyday from the BJP till January 20. India News | One Minister, 3-4 MLAs Will Resign Everyday from BJP in Uttar Pradesh Till Jan 20, Claims Dharam Singh Saini After Quitting Yogi Cabinet.
The development in UP has an uncanny similarity with what happened in West Bengal ahead of the assembly polls last year. However, the exodus proved to be a safety valve for Mamata Banerjee and TMC.
Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Swami Prasad Maurya resigned from the BJP. Four more MLAs close to him announced their resignations from BJP a few hours later.
In yet another setback for the BJP, influential 'Gujjar' leader and party legislator from Muzaffarnagar district Avtar Singh Bhadana on Wednesday resigned from the saffron party and joined the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). According to the sources in the RLD, Bhadana had a meeting with RLD president Jayant Chaudhary in Delhi after which he announced his decision to quit the BJP.