BSP leader Ashish Shukla quits party

Amethi, Sep 14 Senior BSP leader Ashish Shukla today resigned from the party, being the latest addition to the list of names to have quit the Mayawati camp.

In a press conference, he announced about his resignation but denied to give any clarification about his decision.

A string of BSP leaders, including Swami Prasad Maurya, RK Chowdhary and Ravindra Nath Tripathi, have quit the party ahead of the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh slated to be held early next year.

Shukla, who unsuccessfully contested Assembly polls in 2007 and 2012 and Lok Sabha poll in 2009 on BSP ticket, was given the post of vice president of UP Khadi Gramodyog by then chief minister and BSP supremo Mayawati.

Prior to this, he had unsuccessfully contested Assembly polls in 2002 on a Congress ticket. Notably, BSP had ticked his name as the party candidate from Amethi for the forthcoming Assembly polls but later replaced him with a new face, Rahul Maurya.

PTI