Ex-UP minister Swami Prasad Maurya on Tuesday quit BJP and joined Samajwadi Party (SP) ahead of the high-stakes assembly elections in the state, beginning next month from February 10. The polls will be held in 7 phases.
In a major development ahead of elections, Swami Prasad Maurya resigned as Labour, employment, and coordination minister. Soon after he resigned, SP chief and former CM Akhilesh Yadav took to Twitter and shared a photo with Maurya welcoming him to the party.
Akhilesh Yadav wrote, "warm welcome and greetings to the popular leader Swami Prasad Maurya ji and other leaders, workers in the party who fought for social justice and equality! There will be a revolution for social justice, there will be change."
Sources say a few more ministers, MLAs including Anil Kumar Maurya, Roshanlal Chauhan may quit BJP and join Samajwadi Party ahead of crucial elections in the state.
After Swami's resignation, UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya appealed to the former minister to hold discussions saying hurried decisions are often proved wrong.
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