National

Swami Prasad Maurya Quits Samajwadi Party, Likely to Float Own Party

Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya has resigned from the party days after he stepped down from the post of national general secretary.

File photo of Swami Prasad Maurya
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Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Swami Prasad Maurya has resigned from the party days after he stepped down from the post of national general secretary. Reports citing sources say that Swami Prasad Maurya is likely to launch his own political outfit on February 22 at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi.

Former Uttar Pradesh minister Swami Prasad Maurya had joined the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party in January 2022. Swami Prasad Maurya was the Labour Minister of UP Maurya when he had quit the BJP to join the Samajwadi Party in 2022.

Swami Prasad Maurya is considered one of the tallest backward caste voices in the Uttar Pradesh and belongs to a community traditionally engaged in horticulture.

Maurya has been an MLA for five terms and represented the Padrauna constituency. Before BJP, he was a member of Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and was elected to the assembly as a member of BSP.

In June 2016, Swami Prasad Maurya resigned from all party posts alleging a "money for ticket" syndicate being run by the party, a claim that BSP supremo Mayawati denied.

Maurya then joined BJP and in March 2017, was appointed as Cabinet Minister in Uttar Pradesh government, with ministries of Labour and Employment exchanges, Urban Employment and Poverty alleviation allotted to him.

In January 2022, Swami resigned from the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP).