BJP MP Shyama Charan Gupta joins Samajwadi Party, given ticket from Banda constituency

In a massive setback to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 'defection strategy' for the coming Lok Sabha elections, its parliamentarian from Allahabad, Shyama Charan Gupta, had joined the Samajwadi Party (SP). He has also been named Samajwadi Party's candidate from Banda constiotuency. The Samajwadi Party put out the information on its Twitter handle. This is the second major jolt to the BJP in a day.

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— Samajwadi Party (@samajwadiparty) March 16, 2019

Earlier in the day, BJP's sitting MP from Tezpur Ram Prasad Sarmah announced that he quit the saffron party and alleged that old workers were being neglected by "new intruders in the party". Sarmah said he was resigning from the primary membership of the BJP after serving the RSS and VHP for 15 years and the BJP for 29 years.

With Lok Sabha elections less than a month away, politicians across the party lines are on a spree of switching sides. In the last few days, several Congress and the BJP leaders have defected from the party. While the BJP was on a high with many senior Opposition leaders taking the saffron plunge, Gujarat BJP leader Reshma Patel on Friday resigned from the party alleging that it has become a marketing company.

Patel announced that she would contest the upcoming elections to the Porbandar Lok Sabha seat and Manavadar Assembly constituency as an Independent if she is not offered any ticket from mainstream political parties.