Former MP Budh Sen Patel, ex-BJP MLA Narayan Tripathi, and Congress member Laxman Ahirwar have shifted their political allegiance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh, joining the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Thursday.
Their decision to join the BSP comes with the influence of BSP chief Mayawati's leadership, stated Ramakant Pippal, the state party head, after their induction into the party-fold in Madhya Pradesh.
Sources indicate that Patel, Tripathi, and Ahirwar are potential contenders for the BSP's ticket for the Rewa, Satna, and Tikamgarh parliamentary constituencies, respectively.
Regarding their prospects of contesting as BSP candidates, Pippal deferred to Mayawati's discretion, stating, "Mayawatiji takes such calls. I can't comment on the matter." He added that the BSP would soon announce its nominees for all 29 Lok Sabha seats in MP.
Patel, who previously won the assembly election from Rewa and the Lok Sabha poll from Rewa in 1993 and 1996, respectively, under the BSP banner, had later joined the BJP. Prior to the 2023 assembly elections, he aligned with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) led by K Chandrashekar Rao, a move Pippal described as Patel's "homecoming."
Tripathi, a four-time MLA, had affiliations with various parties, including the Samajwadi Party, Congress, and BJP. Last year, he formed his political outfit, the Vindh Janata Party, after quitting the BJP. Despite contesting unsuccessfully in the 2023 MP assembly polls, Tripathi, a prominent Brahmin leader from Vindh, continues his political journey.
Laxman Ahirwar, son of the late Nathuram Ahirwar, who served as the Congress MP from the Khajuraho seat from 1966 to 1977 and held ministerial positions in Madhya Pradesh, also joined the BSP.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BSP failed to secure any seats, and in the recent 2023 MP assembly elections, the party faced similar results.
Elections for the 29 Lok Sabha seats in MP are scheduled in four phases from April 19 to May 13, with vote counting on June 4.
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