Lucknow

Dara Singh Chauhan, former minister in the Adityanath cabinet joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Sunday in the presence of its national president Akhilesh Yadav.

Chauhan was the third minister after Swami Prasad Maurya and Dharam Singh Saini to leave the BJP and join the Samajwadi Party.

"In 2017, the BJP government gave a slogan of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas'. The party took support from everyone but only few people got benefits of development," Chauhan said after joining the SP.

Vhauhan, who was a BJP legislator from the Madhuban constituency in Lucknow further claimed that not only backward class and Dalits are unhappy with the state government, the Brahmins are also not satisfied with the BJP government in Uttar Ptradesh.

"Attempts are being made to tamper with the Constitution," he added.

"I welcome Dara Singh Chauhan and his supporters who have come in large numbers," Akhilesh Yadav said.

Earlier on January 14, former Uttar Pradesh Ministers Swami Prasad Maurya and Dharam Singh Saini, who resigned this week from the Adityanath government and the ruling BJP ahead of assembly polls, also joined the Samajwadi Party.

Along with the former Ministers, the sitting MLAs Bhagwati Sagar, Vinay Shakya, Roshan Lal Verma, Mukesh Verma and Brajesh Kumar Prajapati have also joined SP.

Apna Dal MLA Chaudhary Amar Singh, former BSP MLA Neeraj Kushawaha Maurya, former BJP MLC Harpal Saini, former BSP MLA Balram Saini, former BJP MLA Rajendra Pratap Singh, former Minister of State Vidrohi Maurya, former Chief Security Officer Padam Singh and former Congress MLA Bansi Singh Pahadiya joined the Samajwadi Party.

The spate of resignations began with Swami Prasad Maurya quitting the cabinet. Maurya, a prominent leader from the OBC community, had joined the BJP from BSP. Dara Singh Chauhan had resigned as minister on Wednesday. Dharam Singh Saini became the third minister to quit on Thursday.

Samajwadi Party has stitched a coalition of smaller parties for the assembly polls and has emerged as the main rival of the ruling BJP in the state.

In the past few days, BJP MLAs Mukesh Verma, Vinay Shakya, Avtar Singh Bhadana, Roshan Lal Verma, Brijesh Prajapati and Bhagwati Sagar resigned from the party.

Uttar Pradesh assembly elections will be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7. The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7.