Former BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya set to join BJP today in Delhi

Mangalore Today News Network

Lucknow, Aug 08, 2016: Former Bahujan Samaj Party leader and Padrauna MLA Swami Prasad Maurya is on Monday expected to join BJP in New Delhi, along with his supporters, including several former party leaders.

Maurya, former BSP general secretary, had left Mayawati’s party on June 22, accusing party chief of selling poll tickets and deceiving Dalits.

Maurya, who was the Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly when he announced his resignation, was regarded as the OBC face of BSP.

Sources close to Maurya said he would fly to New Delhi on Monday to join the BJP.

A senior BJP leader confirmed the same. A few former BSP leaders, including Shivpur MLA Udai Lal and former MLCs and MLAs are expected to accompany him.

Maurya’s entry into BJP could help the party woo the Kushwaha-Maurya castes of western UP — one of the largest OBC groups in the state. In an apparent attempt to reach out to the caste group, the BJP had earlier appointed Phulpur MP Keshav Prasad Maurya as its state party president.

Besides bolstering BJP’s OBC base, Maurya, who practices Buddhism, could also help the party reach out to disgruntled BSP supporters.