Appreciating Ritesh Pandey for his decision, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said that Ritesh Pandey decided to move with developed India…reports Asian Lite News
In a big blow for the Mayawati-led BSP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, BSP MP from Ambedkar Nagar, Ritesh Pandey, joined the BJP on Sunday.
Pandey joined the BJP in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak and other BJP leaders.
He resigned from the primary membership of the BSP earlier today.
On joining BJP, Ritesh Pandey said, “…I had been working for BSP for the last 15 years, I don’t want to comment on thinking and activities of her (Mayawati). I have written in detail about this in my resignation letter. Whatever is happening in my constituency has happened in the last five years.”
Hailing the state government for the latest development work in Uttar Pradesh, he said, “I have taken this decision after evaluating all those things that are happening on the ground, be it two industrial areas in the constituency, the Purvanchal expressway, Gorakhpur link expressway, schools, the four-lane road that connects Ambedkar Nagar to Ayodhya’s Ram temple.”
He further stated that the economic condition of people, farmers, women, and Dalits has changed, and their living standards have been uplifted.
Appreciating Ritesh Pandey for his decision, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said that Ritesh Pandey decided to move with developed India.
“Ritesh ji has taken a bold step and will work to connect the youth across the country,” said Pathak.
Welcoming the leader to the BJP, the Deputy Chief Minister said that Ritesh Pandey is a popular leader and MP from Ambedkar Nagar. “I am happy to welcome him with all my heart,” he expressed.
“Seeing the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi worked, Ritesh Pandey ji took this decision,” Pathak applauded.
BSP MPs begin looking for greener pastures
The sitting MPs of the Bahujan Samaj Party have started looking for greener pastures for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections after party president Mayawati’s repeated assertions that the party would contest the polls on its own.
BSP MPs feel that with BJP-led NDA and Congress led-INDIA bloc, there would be a polarisation of votes between the two formations, leaving little scope for parties that contest independently.
BSP MP Afzal Ansari has already been declared a candidate by the Samajwadi Party from Ghazipur parliamentary seat. Another MP, Danish Ali, who has been suspended by Mayawati for anti-party activities, is on his way to the Congress and sources said that he was all set to contest Amroha seat on a Congress ticket.
One of the BSP MPs said that the Lok Sabha elections would be contested on a highly polarised note and in such a situation, the idea of contesting alone is not wise. “Why would someone vote for us if they know that we are neither going to sit in treasury benches and nor in the opposition? The BSP usually benefits in a multi-cornered contest but as things stand now, there will be a straight fight between NDA and INDIA bloc,” he said.
In 2019, the BSP had contested the general elections in alliance with the SP and had won 10 seats. However, immediately after the polls, Mayawati snapped ties with the SP. In the 2022 assembly polls, the BSP could manage to win only one seat, making it almost irrelevant in state politics.
Our working style is different, says Mayawati
Mayawati on Sunday called her party different from “the capitalist parties of the country.” She said her party is not just a political one but a movement inspired by the ideals of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. The party is dedicated to the mission of ensuring self-respect for the marginalised.
“The policy and working style of the party are different from those of the capitalist parties in the country. The party also fields candidates, keeping this in mind in the elections,” she added further.
Meanwhile, amid the widening rift over the INDIA bloc, and the speculation that many Congress leaders would jump ship to the BJP, Mayawati reiterated that there is no alliance with any party ahead of the Lok Sabha election and said that her party will contest the election alone.
The BSP chief said that her party may consider an alliance only after the elections are over.
On December 21, 2023, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati lashed out at member parties of the INDIA bloc, especially the Samajwadi Party (SP), who make comments on opposition parties that are not a part of the alliance.
Notably, the Samajwadi Party reportedly opposed the move to induct the BSP into the INDIA bloc at the fourth meeting of the INDIA parties. BSP was a major political force in Uttar Pradesh in the 1990s and 2000s but witnessed a gradual decline over the past decade.
In the 2022 assembly elections, the party polled only 12.8 per cent of the votes, its lowest in almost three decades. On Wednesday, as the farmers’ protests continued, BSP supremo Mayawati urged the government to take the demands of the farmers seriously and to consider them with empathy. (ANI)
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