New Delhi: Former Uttar Pradesh minister and Samajwadi Party candidate Swami Prasad Maurya lost from Kushinagar’s Fazilnagar seat in the Uttar Prdaesh Assembly election. The Fazilnagar seat was won by BJP’s Surendra Singh Kushwaha.
The OBC leader joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) weeks ahead of the UP election. He had said he quit the BJP due to “gross neglect” towards Dalits, backwards, farmers, unemployed youth and small traders.
Three other BJP MLAs — Roshan Lal Verma, Brijesh Prajapati and Bhagwati Prasad Sagar – also followed Maurya.
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Maurya, who hails from the other backward class (OBC) community, had crossed over to the BJP from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) before the 2017 assembly polls.
“I have worked with responsibility and dedication in the Cabinet of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as Labour and Employment Minister even under adverse situations and ideological positions but because of the neglect of Dalits, backwards, farmers, unemployed, youth as well as small traders, I resign from the Cabinet of Uttar Pradesh,” Maurya had said in his resignation letter.
He is a five-time MLA from Padrauna, while his daughter Sanghmitra Maurya is a BJP MP and represents Badaun in the Lok Sabha.
The Congress fielded Manoj Kumar Singh from the seat, while the Bahujan Samaj Party candidate was Ilyas Ansari. BJP nominated Surendra Singh Kushwaha from the seat.
The Fazilnagar assembly segment has around 90,000 Muslim voters, 55,000 Maurya Kushwahas, 50,000 Yadavs, 30,000 Brahmins, 40,000 Kurmi-Sainthwars, 30,000 Vaishyas and about 80,000 Dalits.