Mayawati's close aide to resign as minister

Lucknow, June 27 (UNI) Putting to rest speculations over the future of her close aide and Bahujan Samaj Party general secretary as a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, Chief Minister Mayawati today said Satish Chandra Mishra would resign from the cabinet in the next three months.

Talking to mediapersons here, she said the media had been speculating about the future of Mr Mishra as a minister as he was not a member of the state legislature.

''He was not willing. But I made him take oath as a cabinet minister because it was in the interest of the government and the BSP that a legal expert advised the new government on various issues...once his task is over he would resign as a minister in the next two-and-a-half months and work towards bringing the upper castes in the BSP fold ahead of the Lok Sabha elections,'' she said.

She also criticised the media for speculating about the future moves of the BSP government to retain Mr Mishra in the government.

''Some newspapers have suggested that he would contest the assembly bypoll from Farookhabad seat...Antu Mishra, who lost from Kanpur (Dehat) will contest from Farookhabad,'' she said. Mr Antu Mishra is a minister in the state government.

Meanwhile, ending the suspense over her future course of political strategy, Chief Minister Mayawati on Monday filed her nomination papers for the by-election to state Legislative Council seat.

Ms Mayawati, along with her lieutenant and state minister Swami Prasad Maurya, is set to be elected unopposed in the by-elections to two seats of the state Legislative Council.

The CM is contesting from the seat which fell vacant following the death of BSP leader Barkhu Ram Verma. The term of the seat expires on July 6,2010.

The term of the seat from which Mr Maurya is contesting the bypolls will expire on January 30,2009. The seat fell vacant following the death of SP member Vikramaditya Pandey.

While the BSP president had not contested the recently-held Assembly elections, Mr Maurya was defeated in the polls.

UNI