IP Singh, who had courted controversy by saying he would support Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Azamgarh and was subsequently expelled by the BJP for his remarks, joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Wednesday. Singh joined the SP in the presence of party president Akhilesh Yadav.

Singh, who had said he was ready to offer his residence as Yadav’s election office in Azamgarh, had been critical of the BJP for a while. “I believe Akhileshji’s decision to contest from Azamgarh would help develop this backward region,” he said annoying many in the BJP.

Soon thereafter, UP BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey issued his expulsion order.

This was the second time that Singh was expelled from the BJP, the first being in 2012 when he had opposed the party’s decision to induct former minister Babu Singh Kushwaha, then a close aide of the BSP chief Mayawati, into the party.

Kushwaha was named in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) irregularity case and Singh had opposed his induction into the BJP, which was subsequently put on hold.

First Published: Apr 04, 2019 13:05 IST