Lucknow: After Samajwadi Party (SP) expelled Chail MLA Pooja Pal from the party for “indiscipline and anti-party activities,” sparking intense speculation that she may soon join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Pooja Pal, who represents Kaushambi’s Chail constituency, had long been at odds with the SP leadership. She cross-voted in favour of the BJP during last year’s Rajya Sabha elections but the party refrained from punishing her, citing the need to give her “an opportunity to course correct.” The final trigger came this week when she openly praised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the Assembly, hailing him for “ending Atiq Ahmed’s criminal empire and delivering justice.” Hours later, SP president Akhilesh Yadav approved her expulsion.
Adding fuel to the speculation, Pooja Pal was seen meeting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at his official residence in Lucknow recently. Party insiders say the meeting has lent strong credence to the belief that her switch to the BJP is not just a matter of possibility but of timing. The buzz in political circles is that she could be formally inducted into the party ahead of the next round of bypolls.
“Anyone working against the party line will face disciplinary action. Pooja Pal was warned in June but did not mend her ways,” SP’s national spokesman Rajendra Chaudhry said.
Congress, quick to weigh in on the development, accused both SP and BJP of “double standards.” “This was bound to happen. Pooja Pal was openly siding with the BJP while enjoying the SP ticket. But let’s not forget, the BJP has been engineering such defections instead of winning people’s trust,” said Maroof Khan, a senior Congress leader.
BJP leaders, however, welcomed the speculation of her possible entry. A local BJP office-bearer in Kaushambi, requesting anonymity, said, “She has taken a strong stand against mafia politics and shown faith in Yogi ji’s leadership. If she joins the BJP, it will strengthen our fight against crime and boost the party in the region.”
Political observers say Pooja Pal’s stance began shifting after the sensational murder of her husband Umesh Pal, a key witness in a case against gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed. Since then, she has frequently spoken in support of BJP’s law-and-order measures, often in sharp contrast to her party’s position.
During the recent Lok Sabha elections too, she was accused of working to help BJP candidates in the region. Her expulsion, insiders say, was “only a matter of time.” With her exit, speculation is rife that she could be inducted into the BJP soon and may even be offered a ministerial berth.
The move comes amid rising strains within the SP. The party had earlier expelled MLAs Manoj Pandey, Abhay Singh, and Rakesh Singh for cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections. Pooja, however, was spared then, reportedly because Akhilesh Yadav did not want to alienate the Pal community, which holds political influence in parts of Uttar Pradesh.
In Kaushambi, the SP currently holds all three Assembly seats — Chail, Sirathu, and Manjhanpur. But with Pooja Pal’s exit and Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) leader Pallavi Patel, who represents Sirathu, also drifting away from the party, the SP’s position looks increasingly shaky. In Prayagraj, out of 12 Assembly segments, the SP controls only four.
For now, Pooja Pal has not made a formal announcement about her next political move, but all eyes are on the BJP, where her arrival appears increasingly likely.
