UP elections: Blow to BJP; 4 MLAs resign, Sharad Pawar says 13 others will quit saffron party

New Delhi, Jan 11: In a setback to the ruling BJP, four sitting MLAs in the Uttar Pradesh assembly quit the saffron party on Monday as the countdown for the assembly elections has started.

State minister Swami Prasad Maurya and three others - Roshan Lal Verma (Shahjahanpur), Brijesh Prajapati (Banda) and Bhagwati Sagar (Kanpur) - have left the BJP.

Madhuri Verma from Bahraich, Radha Krishna Sharma from Badayun and Digvijay Narayan Chaubey from Sant Kabir Nagar are the other MLAs who quit the saffron party.

Soon after leaving the party, Swami Prasad Maurya accused the BJP of not working towards the upliftment of Dalits, backward classes and farmers. Before he resigned, UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya tried to convince him not to quit the party, but the former was firm in his decision, say reports.

Meanwhile, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said that his party will have an alliance with Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party. Addressing a press conference, Pawar said "the people of Uttar Pradesh are looking for change. We will surely see the change in the State.

Reacting to Swami Prasad Maurya's resignation, Pawar claimed that 13 BJP MLAs in Uttar Pradesh will quit the saffron party and join SP.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday announced seven-phase election to Uttar Pradesh assembly from February 10 to March 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7 in seven phases.