Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati on Wednesday expelled alleged mafia don-turned politician Aruna Shankar Shukla alias Anna and traders’ leaders Banwari Lal Kanchhal and Sandeep Bansal from the party. Mr. Shukla was shown the door for continuing with his alleged criminal activities and the two traders’ leaders for anti-party activities.
Mr. Kanchhal and Mr. Bansal were accused of plotting the defeat of BSP candidate Anubhav Mishra in the recent Lucknow West Assembly by-election.
Mr. Shukla and Mr. Kanchhal were in the Samajwadi Party before joining the BSP prior to the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Mr. Kanchhal was a Rajya Sabha member of the SP when he decided to join the BSP. Mr. Shukla was an SP MLC. Mr. Bansal was in the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Following his entry into the BSP, Mr. Shukla was rewarded with a ticket for the Lok Sabha election from Unnao as Ms. Mayawati tried to replicate the social engineering formula. He was fielded despite the fact that the seat was held by the BSP and Brijesh Pathak was the then sitting MP. After Mr. Shukla was fielded, Mr. Pathak was made a Rajya Sabha member. However, Mr. Shukla failed to win. He was defeated by Annu Tandon of the Congress.
A release issued by BSP State unit president Swami Prasad Maurya justified the decision to expel Mr. Shukla.
Mr. Maurya said Anna’s criminal history was known to all but he was fielded from Unnao on the promise that he would keep away from criminal activities. But Mr. Shukla failed to reform himself, Mr. Maurya said.
