Samajwadi Party expels three rebel MLAs for cross-voting in February 2024 Rajya Sabha polls
The Samajwadi Party has cracked the whip on three out of its seven rebel MLAs, expelling them from the party almost 14 months after they cross-voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate during the Rajya Sabha elections in February 2024. Abhay Singh and Manoj Kumar Pandey were among three MLAs expelled by SP. (FILE PHOTO)
Those expelled from the Akhilesh Yadav-led party are Abhay Singh (MLA from Gosainganj in Ayodhya district), Rakesh Pratap Singh (Gauriganj in Amethi) and former chief whip Manoj Kumar Pandey (Unchahar in Rae Bareli), the SP said in a post on its social media handle.
The remaining four rebel MLAs have been spared for their 'good behaviour' while doors have been closed for the future for the three MLAs who have been expelled today, the party claimed.
The four who have been spared are: Bisauli MLA Ashutosh Maurya, Kalpi MLA Vinod Chaturvedi, Chail MLA Puja Pal and Jalalpur MLA Rakesh Pandey.
Samajwadi Party spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chand said, 'These MLAs were working against PDA, giving statements against PDA and were speaking in favour of wrongdoings of the BJP. They were given time to improve but sadly they continued to speak against the PDA, hence this action was taken by the party.'
In a post on Monday morning, the official Samajwadi Party X handle stated, 'Samajwadi Party expels the following MLAs from the party in the public interest for supporting communal, divisive negativity and anti-farmer, women, youth, business, employed and 'anti-PDA' ideology, contrary to the politics of socialist harmony and positive ideology. MLA Gosaiganj Abhay Singh, MLA Gauriganj Rakesh Pratap Singh and MLA Unchahar Manoj Kumar Pandey. The 'grace period' given to these people for a change of heart has now been completed.'
Reacting to his expulsion, Gauriganj MLA Rakesh Pratap Singh said, 'I am not upset at all, rather I welcome this decision and I will continue to speak what is right. The SP doesn't take a stand when religious sentiments are hurt or played with. The leadership of the SP also doesn't stand with its own MLAs when there is any issue. The SP leadership never called me when I was in trouble. I don't know if I will be in politics in future or not but I am sure that I will never ever work again with such leadership.'
'I am with Sanatan, I am with Ram, I am with the country but SP people are opposing it,' said Rakesh Pratap Singh.
Meanwhile, Unchahar MLA Manoj Kumar Pandey said, 'On 18th June 2024, I joined the BJP in the presence of HM Amit Shah in Raebareli. The party which has deviated from its path and is deceiving the backwards and the downtrodden, I had left that party publicly on 18th June. The party which I had left, now I am being expelled from the same party, this is hilarious and surprising.'
The BJP's eighth candidate Sanjay Seth had won the Rajya Sabha election in February 2024 due to cross-voting.
Only two SP candidates, Jaya Bachchan and Ramjilal Suman, had won, while the third candidate Alok Ranjan had lost.
The rebel MLAs also alleged that the SP leadership had not allowed them to visit the Ram Lalla temple in Ayodhya on an invitation from UP assembly speaker Satish Mahana. After their rebellion, some of these MLAs visited the Ram Temple.
On April 2, 2025, the rebel SP MLAs, including Abhay Singh, Rakesh Pratap Singh and Vinod Chaturvedi, had met Shah in New Delhi.
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