News Analysis India

Tag: Ambika Chaudhary

  • Ahead of UP polls, ex-legislatures Ambika Chaudhary, Sibghatullah Ansari join Samajwadi Party

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s brother and former BSP MLA Sibghatullah Ansari joined the Samajwadi Party along with his supporters here on Saturday, ahead of the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh slated for early next year.

    Former minister Ambika Chaudhary who had quit the SP to join the BSP also returned to the Samajwadi Party along with his supporters.

    Welcoming the leaders to the party, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav expressed confidence that they would give further strength to the party and also send a message among the people that it will form government in the state after the polls.

    Attacking the ruling BJP, Yadav alleged that the youth did not get jobs and traders were ruined under its government.

    He also alleged that the BJP government left the poor helpless during the coronavirus crisis when they needed its support the most.

    “I am happy that the people of Uttar Pradesh want change and are eager to walk on the path of development and prosperity,” Yadav said.

    In a tweet earlier, Yadav announced that his Samajwadi Party will organise ‘Khiladi Ghera’ demonstrations across the state on the occasion of National Sports Day on Sunday.

    He appealed to sportspersons to join the protests and “shake the foundation of irresponsible power”.

    Ambika Chaudhary, who had served as minister in the governments led by Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav, had quit the SP in 2016.

    He had unsuccessfully contested the 2017 assembly election on a BSP ticket.

    In the recent zila panchayat chairperson election, the Samajwadi Party fielded his son as its candidate.

    After the election of his son to the post of zila panchayat chairman, there were indications that Ambika Chaudhary would return to the SP.

    Ambika Chaudhary became emotional and cried as he was welcomed to the SP by Akhilesh Yadav.

    Sibghatullah Ansari had won the 2007 assembly election from Mohammadabad constituency of Ghazipur district on a Samajwadi Party ticket and again contested and won from the seat in 2012 on a ticket of his brothers’ party Quami Ekta Dal.

    In 2017, he joined the BSP and unsuccessfully contested the election.

    Asked if his brother Afzal Ansari who is the BSP MP from Ghazipur would also join the SP, Sibghatullah Ansari said it was for his brother to decide.

  • BSP accepts Ambika Chaudhary’s resignation; he hints at rejoining SP

    By PTI
    BALLIA:  The BSP on Sunday accepted the resignation of former Uttar Pradesh minister Ambika Chaudhary, who has hinted that he might rejoin the Samajwadi Party.

    Accepting his resignation from its primary membership, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) accused the former minister of “betrayal”.

    Meanwhile, when asked if he would rejoin the Samajwadi Party (SP), which he had quit in 2016, Chaudhary said, “Ghar wapsi (homecoming) is always pleasant.” The former state minister, however, added that he will convey his decision at an appropriate time after consulting his supporters.

    Ambika Chaudhary was a cabinet minister in the Samajwadi Party governments led by Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav but had joined the BSP in 2016.

    On Saturday, the Samajwadi Party (SP) had declared his son Anand Chaudhary as its candidate for the post of Ballia zila panchayat chairman and the minister too had resigned from the BSP.

    Accusing Ambika Chaudhary of “betrayal”, BSP’s zone coordinator Madan Ram said, “Chaudhary’s resignation from the primary membership of the party has been accepted.

    Directions have been issued not to invite Chaudhary to party programmes.

    ” “If he has any morality left in him, then he would first of all make his son resign from the post of the zila panchayat member and contest the bypolls,” the BSP leader said, adding that his party will prepare a fresh strategy for the zila panchayat chairman elections.

    Anand Chaudhary is a zila panchayat member from Ward No.

    45 of Ballia and was elected with the support of the BSP.

    The Samajwadi Party move had triggered a sharp reaction from BSP legislative party’s deputy leader Uma Shankar Singh, who accused Ambika Chaudhary of betraying the party.

    Accusing Chaudhary of “backstabbing” the BSP, Singh had said he has “indulged in deceit, showing his true nature”.

    “When the SP had expelled Ambika Chaudhary, the BSP had honoured him and given him a party ticket from the Phephana Assembly constituency,” he said.

    Ambika Chaudhary had said he was feeling ignored in the BSP.

    Polling for the election of zila panchayat chairpersons will be held on July 3.

    The counting of votes will be taken up on the same day, the Uttar Pradesh State Election Commission had said in its poll notification earlier.

    Zila panchayat chairpersons are elected from among the elected members of zila panchayats of various districts. 

  • Senior OBC leader Ambika Chaudhary quits giving another jolt to BSP, may join Samajwadi Party

    LUCKNOW: In a fresh jolt to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), senior party leader and former Uttar Pradesh minister Ambika Chaudhary quit the party on Saturday. This came just a few hours after his son Anand Chaudhary switched-over to rival Samajwadi Party (SP) in native Ballia.

    Though Chaudhary remained tight-lipped about his future plans, sources close to him said he is likely to return to the SP on Monday. After resigning from BSP, Chaudhary said, “I was feeling neglected in the BSP since 2019. Further, as my son has been nominated by the SP as its candidate in district panchayat chairperson poll, my loyalty to BSP could come under doubt.”

    Among the founder members of SP, Chaudhary has long been considered very close to SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and has held key portfolios in the state government in the past. In 2017 after being expelled from the Akhilesh-led party owing to proximity to Shivpal Yadav, Chaudhary, a powerful OBC leader, had joined the BSP.

    The BSP had subsequently fielded him from Ballia’s Phephena seat, but he lost from the seat for the second time in row to BJP’s Upendra Tiwari. BSP MLA from Ballia’s Rasra seat Umashankar Singh said Chaudhary and his son have “back-stabbed” the BSP for which both of them will have to pay politically.

    According to BSP sources, this latest development is bound to sharpen the acrimony between the SP and BSP, who fought the 2019 general elections together. With Ambika Chaudhary hailing from Yadav caste, the latest devopment is an indicator of Yadavs polarising in favour of SP, which has inherently been a Yadav dominated political outfit.