Political Shake-Up: Ritesh Pandey Jumps Ship From BSP To BJP After Meeting PM Modi, Mayawati Responds

After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over lunch in the Parliament canteen along with seven other Opposition MPs on multiple occasions, Ritesh Pandey announced his departure from the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP).

He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday.

Photo Credit: PTI

Ritesh Pandey Jumps Ship From BSP To BJP

Pandey, who represented Ambedkar Nagar in the Lok Sabha, was welcomed into the BJP by Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak and other party leaders, including Baijayant Jay Panda, Tarun Chugh, and Bhupendra Singh, among others.

Pandey took to microblogging site X formerly Twitter, where he shared his resignation letter.

Pandey's resignation from the party's primary membership was prompted by his perception that the party no longer required his services. He stated that he had not been called for any meetings nor had the party chief Mayawati spoken to him for an extended period. In his letter, Pandey expressed his efforts to reach out to Mayawati and the party's top leadership, which yielded no response.

During this period, Pandey continued to engage with workers and supporters of other parties in his constituency and participated in various local activities. Consequently, he concluded that the party did not require his service and presence. Feeling left with no other choice, Pandey decided to resign from the primary membership of the party, acknowledging the emotional difficulty of this decision. He further urged Mayawati to accept his resignation.

Mayawati's response to Ritesh's Jump

Following Pandey's claims, BSP chief Mayawati responded, stating that the BSP was a movement committed to the ideals of anti-Dalit icon BR Ambedkar. She emphasized that the party's ideology, operational methods, and candidate selection process differed from those of other capitalist parties.

In a veiled criticism directed at Pandey, she urged BSP MPs to reflect on whether they adequately served the people in their constituencies. Mayawati questioned if they committed enough to grassroots work. She further emphasized the importance of prioritizing the party's interests over personal agendas, hinting that Pandey's chances of receiving a BSP election ticket might have been jeopardized had he continued with his current approach.

Pandey's choice came shortly after his lunch meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where he was accompanied by seven other Opposition MPs in the Parliament canteen. Taking to X, Pandey shared images of the gathering, expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for the invitation and highlighting their discussion on utilizing lessons from the 2001 Bhuj Earthquake to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

(With PTI Inputs)