Congress expels Ramakant Yadav

LUCKNOW : Amidst speculations on four-time Azamgarh MP Ramakant Yadav’s likely return to the Samajwadi Party, the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee on Thursday expelled him for six years from the party.

Ramakant, a known partyhopper, had joined the Congress ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Ramakant won the Azamgarh Lok Sabha polls on Samajwadi Party ticket in 1996 and 1999, then he won the same seat as Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate in 2004, and as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate in 2009. Currently, the Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav is the Azamgarh Lok Sabha member.

UPCC spokesperson Ashok Singh in a press statement said: “The AICC’s disciplinary committee has expelled the former MP from party’s membership for six years for engaging in antiparty activities.”

In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when Ramakant was denied ticket, he switched sides and joined the Congress. He is likely to rejoin the SP in Akhilesh Yadav’s presence later this week.