• Source:JND
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In a big jolt to the Samajwadi Party, MLA Manoj Kumar Pandey on Tuesday resigned from the post of party chief whip ahead of the high-stakes Rajya Sabha polls on 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh. “This is to bring to your notice that I was appointed as chief whip by the Samajwadi Party. I hereby tender my resignation. Please accept it,” Pandey said in a letter to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.   

Manoj Kumar Pandey also skipped the dinner of party lawmakers hosted by Akhilesh Yadav. Manoj Kumar Pandey is an MLA from the Unchahar constituency in Raebareli. He was a cabinet minister in the previous Akhilesh Yadav government.

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Reacting to the development, SP leader Zahid Baig said resigning from the post doesn’t mean Pandey was leaving the party. He said Pandey might have resigned from the post due to the lack of time. "It may be that he doesn't have time. Resigning from a post and taking money from BJP are two different things. He is a senior leader of the party. Even if he takes money from BJP, he won't cast a vote in their favour," he said while talking to ANI.

BJP leader and UP Minister Dayashankar Singh on the other hand said Manoj Pandey was a follower of Sanatana Dharma and wanted all his MLAs to visit Ayodhya.   

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In Uttar Pradesh, a high-pitched electoral battle will be witnessed between the BJP and SP. While the BJP has fielded eight candidates, the SP has fielded three candidates. According to numbers in the Legislative Assembly, the BJP is slated to win seven seats and the SP is likely to win all three but the media reports suggest several SP legislators have voted in favour of BJP candidates. 

In the Rajya Sabha elections, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the MLAs who voted in favour of the BJP candidates had no guts to stand against the government.

"Not everybody has the guts to stand against the government. Pressure is put on everybody, is there anyone who doesn't know that the BJP would go to any extent to win? BJP was dishonest during the Chandigarh elections also. When it comes to UP, BJP did everything to get votes and those who left, might not have had the guts to stand against the government. Action will be taken because our party leaders want such people to be kept away," he said.