Ahead of UP elections, a key BJP leader and 4 MLAs quit, to join Akhilesh Yadav

New Delhi : Bharatiya Janata Party faced a set of ministers quitting the party ahead of crucial Uttar Pradesh elections on Tuesday. A minister and 4 MLAs have joined hands with Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party.

Swami Prasad Maurya, a top minister in the Yogi Adityanath government, posted his resignation letter on Twitter. An hour later, four other MLAs - Roshan Lal Verma, Brijesh Prajapati, Bhagwati Sagar and Vinay Shakya - announced their resignations.

Mr Maurya, who is a strong OBC leader and five times MLA, had joined BJP in 2016 after he resigned from Mayawati's BSP. He was central to the BJP's plans to draw a critical section of OBC voters to counter Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party.

"Despite a divergent ideology, I worked with dedication in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet. But because of the grave oppression of Dalits, OBCs, farmers, unemployed and small businessmen, I am resigning," Mr Maurya wrote in the stinging resignation letter.

He also told reporters: "What impact my exit will have on the BJP will be obvious after the 2022 assembly election." 

His letter of resignation came soon after Akhilesh Yadav posted a picture with him on Twitter.