Two SP legislators quit party on RS poll eve

The two MLAs said they would not be able to vote for RJD-supported candidates in the ensuing elections, as they had been ‘victims’ of RJD president Lalu Prasad, reports Ashok Mishra.

A day before the biennial elections to Rajya Sabha, the UPA in the state received a jolt on Tuesday when two legislators of the Samajwadi Party-Deonath Prasad Yadav and Gopal Agrawal-resigned from the primary membership of the party.

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They have also resigned from the membership of the state Assembly. In a letter addressed to party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, the two MLAs have said they would not be able to vote for RJD-supported candidates in the ensuing elections, as they had been ‘victims’ of RJD president Lalu Prasad.

Last week, RJD president Lalu Prasad had met Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav seeking support for UPA nominees in the ensuing Rajya Sabha elections.

Though the RJD candidate and Union minister Premchand Gupta is certain to make it to the Upper House, the fight for this seat is between RJD-supported Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) candidate Sabir Ali and independent candidate Gobind Pandey.

In New Delhi, JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav met Rajnath Singh on Tuesday and gave him an assurance of his party’s support for the BJP candidates in the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls in Jharkhand and MP. The BJP has one candidate in Jharkhand and three in MP.

While assuring his party's support, however, the JD(U) leader also raised with Singh the issue of the BJP state units luring away his party leaders.

(With inputs from HTC, New Delhi)