Senior Samajwadi Party leader and sitting legislator Dara Singh Chauhan's resignation from the Uttar Pradesh assembly on Saturday has dealt a significant blow to party chief Akhilesh Yadav. The resignation of Chauhan, a former minister for forest and environment in the Yogi cabinet, was promptly accepted by assembly speaker Satish Mahana.
Sources indicate that Dara Singh Chauhan is expected to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) soon and is likely to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections from the Mau constituency.
Chauhan had joined SP ahead of 2022 assembly polls
Chauhan had joined the Samajwadi Party just prior to the 2022 assembly polls. It is noteworthy that Chauhan, a prominent leader representing backward communities in Uttar Pradesh, began his political career with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and was elected to the Rajya Sabha twice as a BSP nominee in 1996 and 2000. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, he contested from the Ghosi seat and emerged victorious. However, he joined the BJP in 2015 and contested the 2017 assembly polls on their ticket from Mau. He was appointed as a cabinet minister in the previous Yogi regime. Upon leaving the BJP in 2022, Chauhan criticized the party for neglecting backward and Dalit communities and failing to adhere to reservation norms.
Shortly after Dara Chauhan's resignation, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasan Maurya tweeted that the BJP would now secure victory in all 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Chauhan's influence in at least 20 UP districts
Political analysts view Dara Singh Chauhan as an influential leader representing backward communities, with a significant impact in approximately 20 districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh. His entry into the BJP is expected to provide a substantial boost to the party's prospects. In an effort to strengthen its presence in eastern Uttar Pradesh, the BJP has been attracting leaders from backward communities in the region. The party is also considering inducting Om Prakash Rajbhar into the state cabinet and offering his party at least one Lok Sabha seat in the upcoming elections. In western Uttar Pradesh, another prominent backward leader, Dharam Singh Saini, has already expressed his intention to join the BJP, having parted ways with the Samajwadi Party.
