Maurya did not disclose whether he had resigned from the BJP as well, with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav tweeting an undated picture of him with Maurya: “We welcome the leader of social justice and equality”.
Shri Swami Prasad Maurya, a popular leader who defends social rights-equality-equality, is about to come… https://t.co/evoD99iw33
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) 1641890673000
Sources close to Kushinagar’s Padrauna MLA Maurya said he is expected to formally join the SP later this week. The development, crucially, came on a day when top BJP officials held a meeting in New Delhi to finalize the names of party candidates for the upcoming state elections.
Still, Maurya’s defection in the SP camp could provide a sharp shot in the hands of Akhilesh, who is projecting himself as the BJP’s most powerful rival in the state elections.
In his resignation letter sent to Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Maurya apparently cited the state government’s “gross ignorance” of Dalits, backward classes, farmers, youth and small investors as the reason behind his decision.
Swami Prasad Maurya at his Gomti Nagar residence in Lucknow
The development also fueled speculation that some more BJP MLAs are in touch with the SP leadership. It also included BJP’s Tilhar MLA Roshan Lal Verma who took Maurya’s resignation to Raj Bhavan.
Maurya’s defection in the SP camp could potentially be Akhilesh to counter the BJP’s resolute moves to strengthen the most backward caste (MBC), especially in the eastern UP region.
This development may also help the SP to reverse the narrative of being a party of only the socio-economically powerful Yadav community.
Akhilesh has already forged an alliance with former BJP ally SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, as well as expelled BSP leaders Ram Achal Rajbhar and Lalji Verma.
Watch UP Assembly elections: Swami Prasad Maurya resigns from Yogi cabinet, likely to join SP
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