Swami Prasad Maurya resigns from SP, to launch new party on February 22

Former Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya will float a new party on February 22, he announced on Tuesday.

The announcement comes close on the heels of his resignation from Samajwadi Party membership and from the MLC post. Maurya had resigned as the Samajwadi Party’s national general secretary on February 13.

"Got the opportunity to work in a cordial environment under your leadership. But as a result of not taking initiative on the talks held on 12th February 2024 and the letter sent on 13.02.2024, I am also resigning from the primary member of Samajwadi Party," he said in a resignation letter addressed to Akhilesh Yadav.



"I was elected as a Samajwadi Party member in the legislative council," Maurya said in a separate letter to the chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council. "On the grounds of morality, I am resigning not only from the party's primary membership but also from my position as a member of the legislative council," he declared.

On February 13, Maurya tendered his resignation as national general secretary of the party, citing bias and lack of support from the leadership about his contentious remarks regarding the Ramcharitmanas and the consecration of the Ayodhya temple.

An eventful political career

Maurya joined the SP from BJP ahead of the 2022 assembly elections, contesting unsuccessfully from Fazilnagar. His daughter Sanghmitra is the BJP's Badaun MP.

Maurya, considered a prominent leader of the backward classes in UP, has been a five-time MLA. He served as a minister in the state government, leader of the House and leader of opposition.

Having joined the BJP from the BSP, he served as labour minister in the Yogi govg between 2017 and 2022.

SP faces full-blown revolt

The Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh is facing a full-blown revolt in its ranks. Swami Prasad Maurya, Pallavi Patel, Kamal Kumar Gautam, Brajesh Prajapati and Salim Shervani have all left in a span of a week.

Saleem Sherwani resigned from the post of Samajwadi Party's General Secretary on Sunday, and hit out at the party, saying that the Akhilesh Yadav-led party is not following its motto for which it contests the elections.

"I thought that the topic, the issue on which we are fighting elections, our party is not at all following that motto, so why should we remain in the party..." he told ANI.

Sherwani further said that his resignation came against the backdrop of the party announcing the name of the candidate for the Rajya Sabha.

"This (my separation from the party) did not happen today. This happened when the member's name for the Rajya Sabha election was announced," he said.