BJP embarrassed as its leaders pull out for Samajwadi Party

Even as the BJP in Uttar Pradesh happily welcomes outsiders, its own cadres are “even more happily” crossing over to the ruling Samajwadi Party and causing considerable embarrassment to the party.

Two BJP candidates in the MLC elections suddenly withdrew from the fray on Thursday evening, paving the way for the unopposed election of the Samajwadi Party candidates.

BJP loyalist Aniruddh Chandel, the candidate from Lucknow-Unnao constituency, and Anand Tripathi, the candidate from Chitrakoot, withdrew their nominations without informing the party leadership. Earlier, Virendra Kumar Yadav had defected to the Samajwadi Party hours after filing his nomination as BJP candidate for Meerut MLC seat.

Later in the night, state BJP president Laxmikant Bajpai expelled the leaders from the party for indiscipline but the damage had already been done.

The BJP claimed that its candidates were being “pressurised and forced to withdraw” but the candidates denied the same.

“We felt that the development of the state was possible under the Samajwadi regime and, therefore, decided to withdraw in their favour,” said one of the candidates.

Another candidate said, “We are all happy. The BJP is welcoming outsiders and is happy to bank on them and we are also happy to cross over to greener pastures. So it is a happy-happy situation.” Sources said that the two candidates had been assured tickets for the Assembly elections in 2017 by the Samajwadi leaders.

A senior BJP leader admitted that lack of election management by the leadership was responsible for this exodus.

“The MLC election through the local bodies’ calls for extensive election management but no one in the party is helping the candidates. With the entire government machinery working for the ruling party, I do not blame the candidates for withdrawing from the fray. Our leaders should have foreseen such a situation”, he said.

Party leaders feel that if the level of preparedness that the BJP had shown in recent panchayat elections and now the MLC elections, then the leadership should be prepared for ‘major shocks’ in the assembly elections next year.

As it is, the party is having a tough time in finding suitable candidates for the assembly polls and sources claim that a number of leader have declined to contest the assembly polls.

“Getting crowds for the Prime Minister’s rallies is one thing and contesting elections is another thing. A candidate cannot contest elections without organisational support and the organisation is totally fragmented at the moment”, said a candidate from eastern UP who has reportedly declined to contest.