Speculation of Rita Bahuguna Joshi rejoining SP: Cong denies
22 May, Lucknow
With poll strategist Prashant Kishor working hard to revive the Congress in Uttar Pradesh before the 2017 polls, on the other hand there is a beeline of the party leaders trying to join other political outfit for their better fortune ahead.
While Congress Working Committee(CWC) member and former Union Minister Beni Prasad Verma joined the Samajwadi Party early this month and even grabbed a Rajya Sabha seat, now speculation was on the name of former UP Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi returning back to SP.
Recently Ms Joshi had met chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow which created the speculation though the Congress MLA from Lucknow cantonment vehemently denied any such move in her written statement. Both Beni Prasad Verma and Ms Joshi are old SP leaders.
While Verma was one of the founder member of the SP, Ms Joshi was also the Samajwadi Party Mayor of Allahabad and also contested the Sultanpur parliament polls on SP ticket.However, in the recent political ups and down in the Congress, Ms Joshi was on backfoot following deserting of her elder brother and former Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna from the party and joining the BJP after trying an unsuccessful attempt to topple the Harish Rawat government in the hill state. Congress leadership had even engaged Ms Joshi to talk to her brother, but she failed in convincing him.
”The Gandhi family is irked over the act of the Vijay Bahuguna and this could lead to denial of ticket to Ms Joshi forcing her to search for an alternative home so that her political future is safe. The former UP Congress president is said to be vying for a legislative council berth from the nominated constituency as she is an educationist, retired professor from the Allahabad University,” a Congress leader confirmed on anomity.
In another political move, ruling Samajwadi party has announced to field Aparna Yadav, the youngest daughter-in-law of Mulayam Singh Yadav from Lucknow Cantonment seat in the 2017 assembly polls. The decision has created concern in the Rita Bahuguna Joshi’s camp and now there was a report that either she could change her constituency or skip the elections. The Yadav family could also give a council seat to Ms Joshi to ensure win of Aparna Yadav.”There is all possibility of Ms Joshi being nominated for a the council seat by the SP as she is also an educationist for being a professor of Allahabad University.
Earlier UP governor Ram Naik had rejected the names send by the UP government and still two seats are vacant. The nomination of Ms Joshi will certainly give Aparna Yadav a big boost in her maiden political venture from Lucknow cantonment seat,” a senior SP leader opined.
However, UP Congress vice-president and chairperson of the Media Committee Satyadeo Tripathi, however, ruled out any such move by the leader to join the SP. ” Meeting CM do not raise speculation that the leader is leaving the party. Several legislators meeting CM regularly for development works in their respective constituencies,” he added.But on the other hand SP sources said that ‘ Ghar Vapsi’ of Ms Joshi like Mr Beni Prasd Verma is not ruled out.