Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, on Monday, expelled former minister Raj Kishore Singh and his brother Brij Kishore Singh, who were considered to be the big faces of the party in UP politics.
It is being speculated that Raj Kishore Singh would soon join the Bharatiya Janata Party. There is a buzz that Raj Kishore Singh, who has proved his mettle by being in parties like BSP, Samajwadi Party and Congress, may prefer the saffron camp as his next destination.
Sources said that after Mayawati saw Raj Kishore Singh’s brother with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, she got angry and shunted both the brothers out of the party on Monday.
Talking to the media, Raj Kishore Singh, a three-time cabinet minister of Uttar Pradesh, said that the BSP was a sinking boat so it would be better to leave it.
In Purvanchal, Raj Kishore Singh has a huge mass base of his own. He said that after being expelled from the BSP, he would now talk to his workers and only then take a decision.
In fact, both these leaders have had to bear the brunt of being close to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Both these leaders were seen in Eknath Shinde's programme as his shadow. Mayawati did not like their closeness with her rival.
The Maharashtra chief minister had come to Ayodhya on Sunday. Both these leaders met Eknath Shinde in Ayodhya, for which they had to bear the brunt now.
Both the leaders come from Basti district. BSP district president Jaihind Gautam has also issued a letter in this regard, in which it has been said that on the instructions of the party president, former cabinet minister Raj Kishore Singh and his brother and former state minister Brij Kishore Singh have been expelled from the party. He said in the letter that both were expelled from the party after being found involved in anti-party activities.
Significantly, Raj Kishore Singh was a minister in the Samajwadi Party government.
With the announcement of the dates for the municipal elections in UP, the BSP's action will change the equation in the coming urban local bodies polls, especially in Basti and adjoining districts.