UP minister Swami Prasad Maurya defects to SP ahead of polls

Soon after the resignation, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav welcomed Swami Prasad Maurya to the party. (Image: Twitter/@yadavakhilesh)

Uttar Pradesh Cabinet minister and popular OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya resigned from his post on January 11. He was later welcomed by  Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav to the party.

The minister in Yogi Adityanath-led Cabinet announced his resignation from the post on Twitter by sharing a letter written to UP Governor Anandiben Patel. Informing about his decision, Maurya said, "Due to the attitude of gross neglect towards Dalits, backwards, farmers, unemployed youth and small and medium-sized traders, I am resigning from the council of ministers of Yogi (Adityanath) of UP."

दलितों, पिछड़ों, किसानों, बेरोजगार नौजवानों एवं छोटे-लघु एवं मध्यम श्रेणी के व्यापारियों की घोर उपेक्षात्मक रवैये के कारण उत्तर प्रदेश के योगी मंत्रिमंडल से इस्तीफा देता हूं। pic.twitter.com/ubw4oKMK7t

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— Swami Prasad Maurya (@SwamiPMaurya) January 11, 2022

Soon after his resignation, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav welcomed him to the party. “Warm welcome and greetings to the popular leader Shri Swami Prasad Maurya ji who fought for social justice and equality and all the other leaders, workers and supporters who are coming with him in SP!,” the former UP chief minister tweeted.

Maurya, a popular backward caste face of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), had left the party in June 2016 accusing its chief, Mayawati, of corruption and “auctioning" seats. In August same year, he joined the saffron party in August ahead of the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly election.

Maurya was made Labour Minister in Yogi Adityanath's cabinet.