SP expels 3 MLAs who voted for BJP in 2024 RS polls
Samajwadi Party
on Monday expelled three MLAs for voting in favour of the
BJP
nominees in the Feb 2024 Rajya Sabha polls. The action against the MLAs followed over a year after they defied the party line for "supporting a divisive and communal" ideology in contrast with the party's socialist ethos.
The MLAs expelled are Abhay Singh (Gosainganj in Amethi), Rakesh Pratap Singh (Gairganj in Amethi) and Manoj Pandey (Unchahar in Rae Bareli).
The party in a statement said the three MLAs were allowed a "grace period" to see if they will undergo any "change of heart" and return to the party fold but to no avail. The SP added that 'jan virodhi' (anti-people) functionaries will have no place in the party in the future and that any activity which was against the core ideology of the party, would be treated as unpardonable.
The statement concluded with a word of advice to the three expelled MLAs: "Be trustworthy wherever you are".
Meanwhile, Manoj Pandey expressed shock over his expulsion. "I'm surprised by this development. The tweet (X post) from the party today makes me feel pity for those running the SP. How can a party expel someone who had already joined the BJP in front of a crowd of one lakh people and in the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah?" he said.
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The expulsion of MLAs is unlikely to leave any impact on their Assembly membership. A source in Vidhan Sabha secretariat said the three MLAs will no longer be treated as members of SP in the House. They will be given a seating arrangement outside the SP's seating block in the Assembly. "They will be treated as unattached members and SP whip will no longer be binding on them. The Law of Defection will, however, apply on them and as per the Supreme Court ruling, if they join any other party then they will stand disqualified," the source said.
If Pandey has joined BJP, action might follow if the SP approaches the Vidhan Sabha secretariat with a complaint.
The expulsions has, however, ended all speculations of them returning to SP ahead of the 2027 assembly polls. "They will now have to seek a ticket from the BJP for the next assembly elections. All the very best to them," a senior SP functionary told TOI. Sources in SP said of late the three MLAs were sending feelers to senior party functionaries to gauge the mood of the party leadership about their return but latter showed no interest.
The three expelled legislators were among the seven SP MLAs who voted in favour of the BJP candidates in the Rajya Sabha polls. About no action on the remaining four MLAs, the SP said it was because of their 'good conduct'.
Though SP was silent on the immediate reason for the expulsions, sources said the SP leadership had taken serious note of Abhay Singh and Rakesh Pratap Singh meeting the Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi on April 1 last.
The third expelled MLA Manoj Pandey was not a part of this meeting but he came under the axe as the SP leadership was particularly displeased with him for putting the party in an embarrassing situation by switching sides despite being appointed as chief whip of the SP in the assembly.
Manoj quit as the party's chief whip on April 27, 2025 morning — the day voting was underway for the RS polls, which too did not go down well with the party leadership.
Gangster-politician Abhay Singh (50) is a second-term MLA from Gosainganj and said to be close to Raja Bhaiya, who now heads the Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik). Raja Bhaiya has been close to SP, particularly when Mulayam Singh Yadav was at the helm, but does not enjoy any exceptionally cordial relations with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. Rakesh Pratap Singh (48) is a three-time MLA from Gauriganj in Amethi and has been backing the BJP publicly since he switched sides.
P
olitical analysts said the fact that Rakesh Pratap Singh and Manoj Pandey were from constituencies in Amethi and Rae Bareli districts - the bastions of the Congress, the seats were likely to go to the Congress in case of the likely alliance with the grand old party for the 2027 assembly polls. In such a scenario, expulsion of the two leaders will limit their scope of eating into the SP votes in any way in these elections.
While Pandey claimed that he had "officially joined" the BJP a year ago, the UP Assembly website on Monday showed him to be a Samajwadi Party member. Responding to SP's remarks about his 'conscience,' Pandey said, "Only the living have a conscience. My conscience is awake 'always has been." He accused the SP of disrespecting Hindu beliefs. "How can any political party insult Lord Ram, burn the Ramcharitmanas, and make derogatory remarks about Hindu gods and goddesses?" he asked.
Rakesh Pratap Singh, meanwhile, welcomed his expulsion. "I thank those who made this decision. There's no place left in SP for those who speak the truth," he said. He accused the party of being run by "non-socialist forces" and said its PDA slogan stands for "Parivaar Development Authority".
"They even objected to me visiting Ayodhya. That's when the separation began," he added.
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