LS poll: Former minister Ram Sakal Gurjar, ex-SP MLA joins BJP

Hindustan Times, Agra | ByHemendra Chaturvedi, Agra

Apr 04, 2019 12:46 PM IST

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In a big blow to Samajwadi Party (SP) ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, its senior leader and former minister Ram Sakal Gurjar joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of union railway minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi on Wednesday. Later, he also met party president Amit Shah.

In a big blow to Samajwadi Party (SP) ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, its senior leader and former minister Ram Sakal Gurjar joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of union railway minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi on Wednesday. Later, he also met party president Amit Shah.

Samajwadi party leader Dr Rajendra Singh(left), Ram Sakal Gurjar(second from left). RLSP vice-president Shiv Raj(right) join the BJP in the presence of Union minister of railways Piyush Goyal at the party headquarters in New Delhi.(HT)

With Gurjar, the former SP MLA from Fatehabad, Rajendra Singh also returned to the BJP camp. Singh was earlier in the BJP and had won assembly election from Fatehabad seat on the party ticket in 2007, but few years later he joined the SP to contest as MLA from the same seat and lost the election.

After joining the party, Singh said, “It is home coming for me.”

Ram Sakal Gurjar was a prominent face of the SP and had been minister during the party regime. He had a strong hold on party organisation in Agra and enjoyed a say in the policy decisions being close to the SP patriarch, Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Confirming the development, BJP district president Shyam Bhadoria said, “More SP leaders will join the party after being convinced with BJP’s policies. The inclusion of both leaders in the BJP will strengthen the party’s base in Agra region.” Union minister Goyal made both Ram Sakal Gurjar and Rajendra Singh primary members of BJP.

Meanwhile, supporters of Gujar and Singh were planning grand welcome for both on their return to Agra.

According to political pundits, these inclusions are expected to better the prospects for the party candidate, Raj Kumar Chahar, contesting from Fatehpur Sikri and facing Congress candidate Raj Babbar and BSP candidate Sri Bhagwan Sharma alias Guddu Pandit.