The Samajwadi Party on Monday suspended four MlAs from the legislature party for anti-party activities as they had cross voted during the biennial elections of the Rajya Sabha and the legislative Council polls last week.
State SP general secretary and Minister Arvind Singh Gope said that the legislators suspended are Bhagwan Sharma, alias Guddu Pandit (Dibai, Bulandshahr), his brother Mukesh Sharma (Shikarpur, Bulandshahr), Nawazish Alam (Budhana, Muzaffaranagar) and Shyam Prakash (Gopamau, Hardoi). Earlier in May, the party had expelled its Biswan MlA Rampal Yadav for anti-party activities.
Sources said the party would soon file a petition with Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey for the disqualification of these MlAs from Aassembly. The 10th Schedule of the Constitution says that a member of legislature stands to lose membership of the House for defying the party whip.
Suspended MlA Shyam Prakash admitted that he had voted for Independent candidate Preeti Mahapatra. He termed his suspension as ‘illegal’ and said that the party had no authority to act against an MlA for cross-voting as it was his personal choice.
Shyam Prakash had a running feud with senior SP leader and RS member Naresh Agarwal and his son and state minister Nitin Agarwal. He had taken the issue to the party brass but got no relief.
Similarly, Nawazish Alam too said he had voted for the BSP and he had no regrets. He also asserted that he would contest the 2017 Assembly polls on a BSP ticket.
Another suspended MlA Guddu Pandit is no stranger to controversy. In 2007, he was elected to the Assembly on a BSP ticket but in 2011, he rebelled against the BSP and joined the SP. Pandit and his younger brother Mukesh Sharma both had voted for the BJP during the Council and RS elections.
Six MlAs of the Congress had also cross voted but the party is yet to act against them. The BJP has already suspended one of its member, Vijay Bahadur Yadav for cross-voting.