UP elections: Former Mayawati minister Rajpal Tyagi to contest as SP candidate from Muradnagar

LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party on Wednesday inducted Rajpal Tyagi, a former minister in the Mayawati government, swelling the ranks of tainted ministers and MLA who have switched party loyalties just before the state elections.

Tyagi will contest as a Samajwadi candidate from Muradnagar in Ghaziabad, the party said. A minister of agriculture, education and research in Mayawati government, Tyagi was dropped in December after the state high court ordered a CBI probe into a fake encounter case. Tyagi was accused of influencing the police to kill his political rival.

SP defended it decision to induct the controversial ex-minister, saying he has not been found guilty yet.

Mayawati has so far dropped 26 ministers and denied tickets to 105 sitting MLAs in an attempt to refurbish her party's image and fight anti-incumbency.

The Mulayam Singh-led party has given tickets to BSP discards such as Bhagwan Sharma (alias Guddu Pandit) from Dibai in Bulandshahar. A strongman in his area, he was arrested in 2008 in an abduction and rape case. The SP has also given a ticket to BSP MLA Sher Bahadur Singh, who was expelled by Mayawati for indulging in criminal acts.

BJP, too, has given tickets to expelled BSP ministers Daddan Mishra and Awadhesh Kumar Verma and is considering the name of Badshah Singh. These three were removed from the Maya ministry and denied tickets as they were indicted in corruption cases by the state Lok Ayukta.

It had also inducted Babu Singh Kushwaha, who was named in the 5,000 crore NRHM scam in UP. The party, however, had to suspend his membership following widespread internal resentment.