BJP's Prayagraj lawmaker Shyama Charan Gupta defection to Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party came just hours before the BJP release its first list for the Lok Sabha election
Lucknow: BJP's Prayagraj lawmaker Shyama Charan Gupta resigned from the party and joined Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP) on Saturday. He will be contesting in the upcoming Lok Sabha election from Banda.
However, this is not the first time that he has jumped ship. Rather the latest political defection in a way is Gupta’s ghar wapsi as he was once associated with the bicycle (SP).
Also read: Sensing ouster, BJP's Assam MP Ram Prasad Sarmah quits party on Facebook
1. In 1999, he contested Lok Sabha election from Banda on a Samajwadi Party ticket. But Gupta had lost to Bahujan Samaj Party.
2. In 2004, he got a taste of success when he won from Banda. But luck didn't favour him long as he lost in 2009 when he had contested from Phulpur as an SP candidate.
3. Hailing from the Baniya community in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Gupta switched to BJP and had contested as a BJP candidate from Prayagraj in 2014. Riding on the Modi wave, he won with a big margin.
4. Gupta has been a man of flip flops all his life. In 1996, he campaigned for the then BJP stalwart Murli Manohar Joshi only to challenge him in 1998 Lok Sabha election as an SP candidate. He lost terribly and shifted base to Banda Lok Sabha constituency.
5. Gupta, whenever he rebelled have had a 'son' connection. In 2014, when he quit SP to join BJP, the event was preceded by his son joining the saffron brigade. This time too, a week back, his son Vidup Agrahari rebelled against his father and said he will contest against him. Those who are familiar with Gupta's ways knew it was a signal that he is ready to shift. Within days, he quit BJP and went back to SP.
This announcement by Gupta came just hours before the BJP release its first list for the Lok Sabha election. Gupta’s entry to SP also gives a Baniya face to the otherwise Yadav-dominated party. But, those who have seen Gupta's political graph in the last two decades, including his flip flops, are not quite surprised.
Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.