OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya, who had rebelled against the BJP only to lose from his seat in the 2022 Assembly election, filed his papers as the Samajwadi Party’s MLC candidate along with three others on Wednesday.
Mr. Maurya, a former Cabinet Minister in both the BSP and the BJP governments before he joined the SP ahead of the 2022 election, said the SP had honoured Dalits, backward caste people, deprived sections, the poor and unemployed youth by nominating him. He said he had always “raised voice for them.”
Mr. Maurya faced an embarrassing upset in Fazilnagar in the Assembly election, as changing his constituency from seat Padrauna at the last minute proved costly. In the months leading to the election, his rebellion along with other mostly OBC MLAs of the BJP, was projected by the SP as a potential game changer in its favour.
