Feud within Samajwadi Party to benefit BJP in UP polls: Rita Bahuguna

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Rita Bahuguna Joshi on Sunday said the Yadav family feud within the Samajwadi Party (SP) would be beneficial for the former in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, because the party is currently in power at the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a clean image among the people. 

"In the upcoming days, SP would become even worse, which will only give benefit to BJP because people are looking for better prospects and banking on national parties. Among the national parties if you look at the Congress, it is losing its foothold in UP,however, BJP is currently ruling and the Prime Minister has a good image and we have well-established Ministers in UP as well. That is why it is highly possible for BJP to form a majority in the state," Joshi told ANI. 

Bahuguna also pointed out that SP's police to give tickets to goons and mafias has dampened Akhilesh's effort to reform the party's image and hence, the BJP would seek to capitalize on it. 

The feud in the family came out in open when SP supremo Mulayam Singh appointed his brother Shivpal as the state party chief. 

As a consequence, Chief Minister Akhilesh withdrew the portfolios of public works, irrigation and two other portfolios from Shivpal and allotted them to other ministers.