UP elections: Min Dharam Singh Saini resigns days after pledging loyalty to BJP

BJP's woes are likely to increase ahead of the UP elections as Minister Dharam Singh Saini resigned from the state Cabinet. Speculation about his exit had gained traction after he returned the security cover and residence allocated to him by the Yogi Adityanath-led government. Saini who holds Independent charge of the Ayush and Food Security and Drug Administration portfolios had joined the saffron party from BSP in 2016 just like Swami Prasad Maurya.

In the resignation letter sent to the Governor, Swami Prasad Maurya wrote, "I discharged my responsibilities as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of yush and Food Security and Drug Administration with utmost attention in the Cabinet of Hon'ble Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Ji. But I am resigning from the Cabinet of Uttar Pradesh owing to the continuous neglect of the legislators and Dalits, backward classes, farmers, unemployed youth and small and medium enterprises businessmen who helped BJP get a massive mandate and form the government". He is likely to join SP soon.

This development comes merely two days after he clarified to the media that he will remain with the saffron party. On January 11, Saini had affirmed, "Swami Prasad Maurya is like my elder brother and will remain like an elder brother. But I don't know why he has tendered his resignation. I have not talked with him in this regard. But I have learnt from the media that he has included my name in the list of BJP leaders who are going to leave the party. This is wrong. He has given my name without my knowledge. I am in BJP and will remain in BJP".

Resignations rock BJP camp

Since Tuesday, 9 MLAs from the saffron camp have quit the party out of which 8 of them are expected to formally join Samajwadi Party on January 14. To begin with, key OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya resigned from the UP Cabinet followed by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav welcoming him into the party fold. He had joined BJP in the presence of the then party president Amit Shah on August 8, 2016, after serving in BSP for two decades. After BJP swept the election by winning a whopping 312 seats in the 403-member House, Maurya was immediately inducted into UP's Council of Ministers.

Meanwhile, 4 more BJP MLAs in the Maurya camp- Vinay Shakya, Roshan Lal Verma, Brijesh Prajapati and Bhagwati Sagar put in their papers as well. In a separate development on Wednesday, another sitting BJP MLA Avtar Singh Bhadana switched allegiance to RLD in the presence of Jayant Chaudhary. Moreover, UP Environment Minister Dara Singh Chauhan also resigned citing the alleged neglect of the backward classes and Dalits by the Yogi Adityanath-led government. 

Earlier in the day, Shikohabad MLA Mukesh Verma resigned from the primary membership of the party. The formal entry of these legislators into SP is likely to bolster the party's chances in the upcoming UP election is being held in 7 phases- February 10, February 14, February 20, February 23, February 27, March 3 and March 7. On the other hand, the counting of votes will take place on March 10.