Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Member of Parliament from Ambedkar Nagar Lok Sabha constituency, Ritesh Pandey resigned from primary membership of the party. His resignation comes amid speculations of him joining Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Ritesh Pandey announced his resignation from Mayawati-led BSP on Sunday morning in a social media post.
It is reported that Pandey is expected to join the BJP today.
In his resignation letter to party chief Mayawati, he thanked party leaders to allow him to represent in Lok Sabha and Uttar Pradesh Assembly. He expressed his gratitude towards workers for guidance and support.
Additionally, he conveyed his dissatisfaction with the lack of recognition within the party over an extended period. He stated, I have not been included in party gatherings or engaged with at a leadership capacity for quite some time. Despite my persistent efforts to reach out and arrange meetings with you and other senior figures, I have been unsuccessful.
"During this period, I continued to meet party workers and supporters in my area and elsewhere and remained engaged in area work. In such a situation, I have come to the conclusion that the party no longer needs my service and presence. Therefore, I have no option other than resigning from the primary membership of the party. This decision to break ties with the party is emotionally difficult," he added.
Notably, after meeting with PM Modi over lunch 10 days ago, Pandey praised him in a social media post, giving rise to speculation about him joining the BJP.