BSP sacks 2 MLAs for indiscipline

Lucknow: The Bahujan Samaj Party on Monday sacked two sitting MLAs -- Harwinder Kumar Sahani from Lakhimpur Kheri and Brijesh Kumar Verma from Mallawan (Hardoi) -- for anti-party activities and indiscipline.
Apart from the two MLAs, the party also sacked Arvind Kumar Tripathi of Lucknow and Rajesh Valmiki of Lakhimpur Kheri for working against the interest of the party. Tripathi, a former MLC from Unnao-Lucknow seats, is a close relative of a former BSP MP and a senior party functionary.
The action comes a day after Mayawati promised to retain all sitting MLAs, barring exceptional circumstances. The two MLAs are though believed to have voted as per the party whip in the MLCs and Rajya Sabha elections but action against them followed after the party chief reportedly received a number of complaints against the two from the party workers from their respective constituencies. tnn
The move is being seen as part of the cleansing exercise that Mayawati has launched ahead of the assembly polls slated to be held in less than a year's time. Earlier this month, BSP chief sacked Shivpur (Varanasi) MLA Udai Lal Maurya and his brother Anil Maurya. Anil was the BSP candidate from Chandauli in the previous Lok Sabha polls. The party has also expelled its MLA from Najibabad, Tasleem Ahmed, for cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections on Saturday. Ahmed had voted in favour of Samajwadi Party candidate Surendra Nagar.