‘SENGAR PLAYED KEY ROLE IN BSP MLA CROSSVOTING IN RS POLL’

LUCKNOW: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who has been accused by an 18-year-old girl of raping her last year, played a key role in Bahujan Samaj Party MLA Anil Kumar Singh cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha election last month, people familiar with the matter said.

Bahujan Samaj Party leaders, who did not wish to be named, said they were surprised on the polling day on March 23 when Anil Kumar Singh, who represents Purwa assembly seat in Unnao district, came to the polling centre at Vidhan Bhawan with Sengar.

Singh’s switching sides turned out to be turning point in the victory of the BJP’s ninth candidate Anil Agarwal, they said.

A BSP leader said Sengar, who represents Bangarmau assembly seat also in Unnao, had friendly relations with Anil.

That was why BJP leaders tasked him with winning the support of Anil who had won the 2017 assembly election on the BSP ticket for the first time. Sengar had been with the BSP earlier.

A BJP leader, who refused to named said, as Sengar won the confidence of BJP leaders during Rajya Sabha election, the police were initially slow in initiating action against his brother and associates.

But the death of the girl’s father in the judicial custody increased pressure on the police, he said. The police arrested five people, including Sengar’s brother.