Hours after resigning from the primary membership of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Lok Sabha MP Ritesh Pandey on Sunday joined BJP in the presence of UP Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak and state-in-charge Baijayant Panda.
The MP from Ambedkarnagar resigned today saying that he has neither been called for meetings for a long time nor has the party leadership spoken to him.
According to Pandey, for an extended period, neither had he been summoned to party meetings nor had he received communication from the party leadership. Despite numerous attempts to establish contact and arrange meetings with senior officials, his efforts have been fruitless.
In his resignation letter Pandey mentioned that throughout this time, he maintained interactions with party workers and supporters in his constituency and elsewhere, actively participating in fieldwork. Pandey concluded that the party no longer required his services or presence.
BSP president Mayawati reacted to the resignation and wrote on X, “BSP MPs have to evaluate themselves whether they took proper care of the people of their area. Did they devote time to their field? Did they properly follow the guidelines given from time to time in the interest of the party and the movement?”
She further said, “Given the current circumstances, is it viable to allocate tickets to the majority of Lok Sabha MPs, particularly when they are observed pursuing personal interests and garnering negative attention? It is unjust for the media to portray this as a party weakness despite being aware of the situation. The priority remains the welfare of the BSP.”