››CONGRESS MLC’S JOINING PUT ON HOLD,

LUCKNOW: BJP chief Amit Shah, who began his Lucknow visit by paying tributes to dalit icon Jyotiba Phule, concluded his marathon meetings with chief minister Yogi Adityanath late on Wednesday night.

Shah’s marathon meeting with chief minister Yogi Adityanath and other BJP leaders as well as allies from UP ended in a midnight drama with the rape accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar driving back from the SSP office after claiming his innocence. The general impression in the party is that Shah was upset at the manner in which the Unnao incident – the rape charge against BJP lawmaker followed by the death of the father of victim in judicial custody – was hurting the party.

However, Sengar’s midnight drama outside the SSP office left many perplexed. No BJP leader or police official was willing to make a comment on the midnight developments in Lucknow that were played out across the country by the 24x7 national media.

Earlier in the day, the expected joining of former Congress MLC Dinesh Singh, who was elected on the local body quota from Rae Bareli was put on hold ostensibly amid protests by some BJP leaders who claimed that Singh’s joining would hurt the BJP more. Carrying placards and banners some of them were seen outside the BJP office in anticipation of a joining that eventually didn’t happen. Earlier on the eve of Shah’s visit to the state capital on Wednesday, Dinesh Singh, had announced his decision to sever ties from the Congress.

Dinesh’s younger brothers – Rakesh Singh, the MLA from Harchandpur assembly segment of Rae Bareli and Awadhesh, the chairman of Rae Bareli Zila Panchayat – too had announced that Panchvati – their home – no longer belonged to the Congress. Several BJP leaders in the region admitted that the Singhs were interested in joining the BJP after some ‘commitment’ from the party leadership.

“It’s true that we are no longer with the Congress. However we haven’t yet decided where we are headed to. We will collect feedback from the people who have always loved us before we take a final decision,” Dinesh told HT on phone.

BJP leaders in Rae Bareli, Amethi and Lucknow admit that the family has been in touch with the party but wants some ‘commitment’ from the party leadership before the final plunge.