The Samajwadi Party (SP) has appointed Mata Prasad Pandey, a seven-time MLA, as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Sunday. Pandey, 82, succeeds SP president Akhilesh Yadav, who resigned as an MLA from the Karhal seat in Mainpuri district after being elected to the Lok Sabha from Kannauj.
Yadav named Pandey, the SP MLA from Itwa in Siddharth Nagar district, as the Leader of Opposition in the assembly, according to a party leader. Earlier, at a meeting held at the SP headquarters, party MLAs had authorised Akhilesh Yadav to select the LoP.
In addition, the SP appointed Kamaal Akhtar as the chief whip and Rakesh Kumar alias R.K. Verma as the deputy whip in the assembly, as stated in a party release.
“Hearty congratulations and best wishes to senior Samajwadi (Party) leader Shri Mata Prasad Pandey ji on being elected as the leader of opposition in the UP Legislative Assembly!” Akhilesh Yadav posted in Hindi on X. He noted that Pandey’s extensive experience would benefit all SP MLAs, the assembly speaker, the chief minister, and all ministers and MLAs.
Pandey, a Brahmin, has served as the Speaker of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly twice, from 2004-2007 and 2012-2017. He was first elected as an MLA in 1980, and subsequently in 1985 and 1989. He served as the state health minister from 1990 to 1991 in Mulayam Singh Yadav’s government and as the labour and employment minister from 2002 to 2004 in the same administration.
With inputs from PTI