Just hours after expressing public gratitude towards Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his 'zero tolerance' policy against crime, Samajwadi Party MLA from Chail, Pooja Pal, found herself expelled from the party. Her remarks, made during an Assembly debate on the ‘Vision Document 2047,’ lauded CM Yogi for delivering justice in the 2005 murder of her husband, BSP leader Raju Pal- a crime in which gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed was the prime accused.
SP’s action and official reason
In an official letter, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav accused Pooja Pal of anti-party activities and serious indiscipline. The letter stated, “You have carried out anti-party activities, and even after being warned, you did not stop. Your actions have caused serious damage to the party. Hence, you are expelled from the Samajwadi Party with immediate effect.” Party insiders hint that her open endorsement of the Chief Minister, widely seen as SP’s political rival, was the tipping point for her removal.
Pooja Pal stands her ground
Despite losing her party membership, Pooja Pal remained unapologetic. Addressing the media, she said, “The people of Prayagraj who were troubled because of Atiq Ahmed have received justice from the CM, not just Pooja Pal. I have been saying the same thing from day one- even when I was in the party. I stand by my statement.”
She described herself not just as a politician but as a victim of the violence that claimed her husband’s life.
“I am a victim woman first, a wife. My husband was murdered in broad daylight when I was a newlywed bride. There was nobody at my home. I raised my voice when others stayed silent, and CM Yogi gave me justice.”
Pooja Pal said, "I had praised the Chief Minister earlier as well, but yesterday in the Assembly I criticised the mafia Atiq, speaking about how the Chief Minister delivered justice by bringing him down to dust. The Samajwadi Party did not like this, which is why I was expelled; otherwise, I had praised the Chief Minister before too. As for the SP’s PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak), you can see for yourself- in Prayagraj, Umesh Pal was murdered, and he too belonged to the PDA community. I also belong to the same community, and my husband Raju Pal was from this community as well, but the SP sheds tears for the killers instead. I was not given any information about my expulsion."
From personal tragedy to political clash
Raju Pal, then BSP MLA from Prayagraj, was shot dead in 2005, weeks after marrying Pooja Pal. The killing was allegedly orchestrated by Atiq Ahmed and his associates.
The high-profile murder case dragged on for years until the Yogi Adityanath government undertook an aggressive crackdown on criminal gangs in the state. In April 2023, Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were shot dead while in police custody by assailants posing as journalists.
During her speech in the Assembly, Pooja Pal had directly credited Yogi’s governance for bringing her husband’s killers “to the ground.” She told fellow legislators:
“The Chief Minister buried my husband’s murderer Atiq Ahmed…When I was exhausted from the fight, CM Yogi gave me justice."
A political storm is brewing
With her expulsion, Pooja Pal’s political future now hangs in the balance- but her defiance suggests she’s willing to chart a new course. For the SP, the episode reflects the challenges of party discipline in a climate where personal tragedies can clash with political boundaries.
