In a setback to Samajwadi Party, party general secretary Naresh Agarwal’s brother Umesh Agarwal is set to desert the party and join the BJP. The former chairman of Hardoi nagarpalika and District Cooperative Bank said that he would soon join the BJP.
Known as a party-hopper, Naresh Agarwal dominated the politics of Hardoi for the last over two decades. The defection of his brother Umesh to the BJP will prove to be a big gain for the ruling party ahead of urban local bodies’ poll which is set to be a major test of the popularity of Yogi Government.
In 2014 lok Sabha elections, ‘Modi wave’ had decimated the hold of Naresh Agarwal in Hardoi as the BJP won both lok Sabha seats in the district. The BJP repeated its performance in 2017 Assembly polls and barring Hardoi seat, it swept the remaining six Assembly seats in the district. Naresh Agarwal’s son Nitin was the only Samajwadi Party candidate who could win from Hardoi.