Former Uttar Pradesh Minister Nand ‘Nandi’ Gopal Gupta and his wife Allahabad Mayor Abhilasha have been expelled from the Bahujan Samaj Party for alleged anti-party activities.
Mr. Nandi, close aides say, is likely to join the BJP, which could field him in Allahabad.
BSP district chief Lala Prasad Vidyarthi said the couple had ignored “repeated warnings” about the need to maintain discipline and instead they engaged themselves in “anti-party activities” and refrained from the party’s campaign.
But Mr. Gupta alleged that he was removed at the behest of BSP leader Keshari Devi Patel, who has projected herself as the party’s candidate for Allahabad.
Mr. Gupta was seriously injured in a bomb attack outside his home in Allahabad in 2010. He has, since then, tried to garner sympathy votes and regularly put up posters across Allahabad, projecting himself as a likely candidate.
Meanwhile, just days after announcing he would toe the party line if it asked him to vacate Varanasi for BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, senior leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Tuesday visited his constituency.
Sources close to Dr. Joshi said the visit surprised even party workers. A functionary said his position in Varanasi was perceived to be weak and his visit was an attempt to “create an aura of popularity.”
