World · India Bureau
Three Samajwadi Party MLAs to defect to BJP in Uttar Pradesh
Three rebel lawmakers from the Samajwadi Party are set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party on October 14 in Uttar Pradesh. The defections will take place in the presence of senior BJP leaders including Union Minister Smriti Irani and state party chief Pankaj Chaudhary.
LSN India ·
Three dissident Samajwadi Party (SP) legislators in Uttar Pradesh are preparing to switch allegiance to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), marking another blow to the regional opposition party's standing in the state assembly.
The three MLAs are scheduled to formally join the BJP on October 14, with the ceremony expected to be attended by prominent party figures. Union Minister Smriti Irani and BJP Uttar Pradesh President Pankaj Chaudhary are among the senior leaders confirmed to be present during the defection event.
The move adds to a pattern of legislator departures from the Samajwadi Party in recent years, as the SP struggles to maintain its legislative strength against the dominant BJP in India's most populous state. Uttar Pradesh remains a crucial political battleground, with assembly elections serving as a barometer for national political trends.
The exact identities of the three defecting legislators have not yet been formally announced, though the planned ceremony underscores the BJP's continued efforts to expand its numbers in the state assembly ahead of future electoral contests.