In another significant setback for the Mayawati-led BSP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, BSP MP Sangeeta Azad, representing Lalganj in Uttar Pradesh, crossed over to the BJP on Monday.
Accompanying her were BSP Party leader Azad Ari Mardan and Supreme Court lawyer Seema Samridhi (Kushwaha), known for her involvement in legal cases concerning women victims. They too joined the BJP on Monday.
Their induction into the BJP was facilitated by its national general secretary, Vinod Tawde, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, and state BJP president Bhupendra Singh.
This marks the second significant blow to the Mayawati-led BSP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, following the earlier defection of BSP MP from Ambedkar Nagar, Ritesh Pandey, who joined the BJP last month. Pandey made his move in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak and other BJP leaders.
Commending Ritesh Pandey for his decision, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak remarked that Pandey chose to align with a vision for a more developed India.