Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Saturday expelled Chail MLA Pooja Pal from the party for “indiscipline and anti-party activities,” sparking intense speculation that she may soon join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Pooja Pal, who represents Kaushambi’s Chail constituency, had long been at odds with the SP leadership. She cross-voted in favour of the BJP during last year’s Rajya Sabha elections but the party refrained from punishing her, citing the need to give her “an opportunity to course correct.”
The final trigger came this week when she openly praised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the Assembly, hailing him for “ending Atiq Ahmed’s criminal empire and delivering justice.” Hours later, SP president Akhilesh Yadav approved her expulsion. “Anyone working against the party line will face disciplinary action. Pooja Pal was warned in June but did not mend her ways,” SP’s national spokesman Rajendra Chaudhry said. Congress, quick to weigh in on the development, accused both SP and BJP of “double standards.” “This was bound to happen. Pooja Pal was openly siding with the BJP while enjoying the SP ticket. But let’s not forget, the BJP has been engineering such defections instead of winning people’s trust,” said Maroof Khan, a senior Congress leader. BJP leaders, however, welcomed the speculation of her possible entry.