Mayank Joshi, son of BJP MP from Prayagraj Rita Bahuguna Joshi, joined the Samajwadi Party on Saturday. His induction in the party was announced by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav during an election meeting at Gopalpur in Azamgarh district.
After Mayank failed to secure a BJP ticket from Lucknow, talks of him joining the SP had been doing the rounds. However, Rita had dismissed the reports by saying, “The rumour of her son leaving the party was baseless.”
Mayank had met Akhilesh in February. Akhilesh had then tweeted a photo of Mayank meeting him.
Rita is the LS member from Prayagraj and was trying to secure a ticket for her son from Lucknow Cantonment Assembly seat.
However, the BJP rejected the demand and gave the ticket to Cabinet Minister BrijeshPathak.
Rita was elected as MLA from Lucknow Cantonment on a Congress ticket in 2012. In the 2017, Assembly elections, she contested on a BJP ticket, and defeated SP candidate AparnaYadav, the younger daughter-in-law of SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav.Aparna recently joined the BJP.