BJP Revokes Expulsion Of UP Leader Who Vacated Seat For Yogi Adityanath In 2017

The BJP on Monday announced the return of Uttar Pradesh legislative council member (MLC) and former minister Yashwant Singh to the party fold two years after his expulsion, a senior party leader said.

In 2017, Mr Singh, the then MLC of the Samajwadi Party (SP), had resigned from the legislative council to facilitate Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath become a member of the House. Yogi Adityanath was not a member of either of the houses of the UP legislature when he took oath as the chief minister of the state.

According to BJP state general secretary Govind Narayan Shukla, state unit president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary issued a letter to Mr Singh on Monday, ending his expulsion. It is expected from Singh that he will again work with full dedication and devotion towards the ideas of the party, Shukla said.

In May 2018, Mr Singh, who was fielded by the BJP, became an MLC.

In April, 2022, the BJP expelled Mr Singh for six years on the charges of anti-party activities. The action against Singh followed complaints that he had fielded his son Vikrant Singh from the Azamgarh-Mau local body seat of the UP Vidhan Parishad against BJP’s official candidate and also campaigned for him.

It was on the basis of reports from the regional leaders that the then state unit president, Swatantra Dev Singh, had expelled Yashwant Singh from the party.

According to a BJP leader belonging to Mau, Yashwant Singh was preparing to contest Lok Sabha election from Ghosi seat which will go to polls in the seventh phase on June 1. The BJP has given this seat to its ally Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Omprakash Rajbhar’s son Arvind Rajbhar in the alliance.