Prominent BJP cabinet minister Swami Prasad Maurya quits a month before polls, joins SP

In a big jolt to the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party a month before polling begins in the state of Uttar Pradesh, cabinet minister and a prominent backward leader Swami Prasad Maurya resigned from his post. Maurya was welcomed by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav soon after he announced his resignation.

In his resignation letter, Maurya said he tried to diligently execute his responsibilities as a labour minister in CM Yogi Adityanath's cabinet despite having "opposite ideologies", however it was the neglect shown towards backwards, Dalits, unemployed youth, farmers and small and medium scale traders that forced his resignation.

After Maurya's exit, BJP MLA from Tilhar in Shahjahanpur Roshan Lal Verma, also a backward leader, too said he will tender his resignation soon. Maurya joins the SP a day after sitting BJP MLA from Badaun RK Sharma joined the SP and strong Congress leader in western UP Imran Masood also quit the party with an intention to join the SP.


Maurya, a prominent OBC leader is a five time MLA who fought and won his last three elections from Padrauna in Kushinagar in eastern UP. Having started his political career in BSP, he spent twenty years in the party before leaving the BSP for the BJP in 2016, then ahead of the last UP assembly elections. He had accused BSP chief Mayawati for corruption and "auctioning" of seats before joining the BJP.