Former BJP minister Dara Singh to join SP on Sunday, says Maurya

Former Uttar Pradesh minister Swami Prasad Maurya, who resigned this week from the Yogi Adityanath government and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the assembly polls, on Friday said that former state cabinet minister Dara Singh Chauhan will join the Samajwadi Party on Sunday.

Dara Singh Chauhan had resigned as minister from the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Wednesday.

Speaking to ANI, Maurya said, "As per the strategy, Dara Singh Chauhan will join on January 16 and there will be joining every day. The programme was inside the party office and all of us were following COVID protocols."

The SP leader further said that they are planning to send the BJP to exile, just like 14 years ago, before 2017.

"On March 10, when election results will be announced, the BJP will be cleared from UP and the SP will form the government," said Maurya.

After quitting as a minister, Dharam Singh Saini met Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.

"I welcome him to the Samajwadi Party," Yadav said.

The spate of resignations began with Swami Prasad Maurya quitting the cabinet.

Maurya, a prominent leader from the other backward class community, had joined the BJP from the Bahujan Samaj Party.

Dara Singh Chauhan had resigned as minister on Wednesday.

Dharam Singh Saini became the third minister on Thursday.

The Samajwadi Party has stitched a coalition of smaller parties for the assembly polls and has emerged as the main rival of the ruling BJP in the state.

Earlier BJP MLAs Mukesh Verma, Vinay Shakya, Avtar Singh Bhadana, Roshan Lal Verma, Brijesh Prajapati and Bhagwati Sagar resigned from the party.

Uttar Pradesh assembly elections will be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7.

The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7.