Just a day after attending his party chief’s rally in Agra, former BSP MP Brajesh Pathak on Monday left Mayawati’s company to the join the BJP ahead of the State polls early next year and become the latest addition to the list of key leaders who have deserted the BSP in recent times.
The two-term BSP MP crossed over to BJP expressing faith in its “developmental” agenda in Uttar Pradesh in the presence of BJP president Amit Shah and Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma, the MP from Noida.
In the run up to the poll, the BJP thinks Pathak, a Brahmin, is a major catch who could bolster their vote bank in the community and strengthen winning caste combinations. Sharma said Pathak joining BJP will help the party consolidate Brahmin votes.
BJP is counting on the former Unnao lok Sabha MP and now a sitting Rajya Sabha member, to help it win over Brahmin voters, who are also being aggressively wooed by Congress which has decided to give a big chuck of tickets to the members of Brahmin community in the State. BSP is also trying to rope in Brahmin which constitute over 13 per cent of the State population.
Pathak was described as a “pillar” in the Hardoi-Unnao region of the state by the BJP leaders.
Even as Pathak was at the BJP headquarters completing his joining formalities, BSP expelled him from the party, apparently after coming to know of his plans.
Pathak said he had played a role in swinging Brahmin voters to BSP during the 2007 Assembly polls, but Brahmins were disappointed by the party.
Earlier, Swami Prasad Maurya, one the close confidants of Mayawati , had left BSP and joined BJP after initial indecision.
Pathak said nepotism, corruption and goondaism had ruled the roost in the state. He, however, refrained from directly attacking the BSP chief.
Asked about his presence in the BSP rally Sunday and he joining BJP is less than 24 hours, he said he was doing his job in BSP as long as he was there.