Mayawati expels former MLA

Lucknow: BSP chief Mayawati expelled her party's former MLA from Malihabad assembly constituency in Lucknow, Siddharth Shankar, on charges of 'anti-party' acivities on Thursday. Siddharth had won the Malihabad seat in 2009 assembly by-elections necessitated following death of the then BSP MLA, Gauri Shankar, Siddharth's father. tnn
Siddharth, a Jatav, the caste to which Mayawati belongs, however, could not retain the seat in 2012 and lost to SP's Indal Kumar.This time too he was expecting a ticket but Mayawati decided to gave it to a former bureaucrat Ram Bahadur, a Pasi. The move had also dented the aspirations of senior BSP leader, R K Chaudhary, who eventually revolted against Mayawati, accusing her of selling the tickets. Chaudhary has been holding his cards close to his chest, Siddharth is learnt to have been hobnobbing with the BJP. His expulsion coincided with rebel BSP leader, Swami Prasad Maurya joining the BJP.
Malihabad happens to be a reserved assembly constituency under Mohanlalganj parliamentary seat. In 2009, Siddharth had defeated Kaushal Kishore of Rashtravadi Communist Party. Kishore, later won from Mohanlalganj seat on a BJP ticket.