UP: In pre-poll jolt to Maya, BSP No. 2 Maurya parties with SP's Azam Khan

LUCKNOW: In a pre-election jolt to Mayawati, senior BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya, the Leader of Opposition in the UP assembly, on Wednesday resigned from the party, accusing Mayawati of selling tickets. Maurya is the ‘Most Backward Caste’ face of BSP.
The sudden resignation and the buzz that Maurya may join rival Samajwadi Party saw a rattled Mayawati call an impromptu press conference. She was at pains to explain that Maurya was promoting nepotism and that allegations of extortion against were nothing but blatant lies.

Maurya alleged that "Mayawati only needs money and that tickets are being auctioned.” Expressing suffocation, he said I have finally decided to leave BSP.

Mayawati retaliated shortly afterwards saying: "We were about to throw Maurya out and we are thankful he has left on his own. He wanted tickets for himself, his son and daughter, though his children keep loosing." Maurya’s son and daughter lost the 2012 assembly polls on BSP ticket.

His daughter lost the 2014 Lok Sabha polls too. Maurya’s resignation took senior party leaders by surprise. Though his role in endorsing the Lok Ayukta candidate of the ruling SP some months ago did raise some eyebrows.



Immediately after his resignation, Swami Prasad Maurya met Samajwadi Party leaders Shivpal Yadav and Azam Khan. He is likely to join SP as he has earlier worked with Mulayam Singh Yadav in the days of Lok Dal.

CM Akhilesh Yadav has called for cabinet expansion on June 27 and Maurya is likely to be made a minister. The fact that BSP’s leader of Opposition will be made a minister in the SP government is surely going to trouble BSP for long. SP is hoping for a grand OBC consolidations by bringing togther backward leaders like Beni Prasad Verma, Swami Prasad Maurya before next polls in 2017.