Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha Polls: Samajwadi Party MLA Manoj Kumar Pandey Resigns From Party

Amid the voting for the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha seat, the Samajwadi Party suffered another setback while grappling with the cross-voting fear. The party's Chief Whip and MLA from the Unchahar assembly constituency Manoj Kumar Pandey resigned from the post while the voting for the crucial poll was underway. "I have requested the party chief to accept my resignation from the post of Chief Whip," said SP MLA Manoj Kumar Pandey when he was going to meet Uttar Pradesh Transport Minister Dayashankar Singh.

The decision followed a development where 8 MLAs, crucial to the party, opted to skip a dinner hosted by party chief Akhilesh Yadav - a worrisome sign for the party amidst the speculation of cross-voting in the upcoming Upper House election. Pandey is also expected to meet Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath later and key BJP leaders after casting his vote.

In another development, Samajwadi Party MLA from Gauriganj Sadar Rakesh Pratap Singh raised 'Jai Shri Ram' chant while talking to the media thus indicating his leaning towards the BJP. It's also being reported that Akhilesh Yadav had some heated exchanges with party's Sirathu MLA Pallavi Patel during casting of the votes. It's being reported that Pallavi Patel may join the BJP.

The repercussions of this internal strife extend beyond the immediate impact on the Samajwadi Party's chances in the Rajya Sabha election. The spectre of cross-voting adds an additional layer of concern for the party, especially in the months leading up to the general election. With the SP slated to contest 63 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh as part of the INDIA alliance, any internal discord preceding the polls would undoubtedly deal a severe blow to the party's electoral prospects.

In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP has put up eight Rajya Sabha candidates and the Samajwadi Party 3 for the 10 seats at stake. As per the numbers in the Legislative Assembly, the BJP is guaranteed to win 7 seats while the SP should win 3 seats. However, there are reports that several MLAs could cross-vote. Reports suggest at least 8 MLAs were missing from the dinner and now the fear is these legislators could abstain from the vote or corss vote, either of which will result in BJP winning its eighth seat in the state. The BJP, however, is confident in getting the numbers to win all the eights seats where they have put up candidates.