At least 10 ministers may resign from Uttar Pradesh govt in coming days, claims Sanjay Raut

Sanjay Raut. File pic

Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and senior party leader Sanjay Raut on Friday slammed the Yogi Adityanath government and said that in the coming days, at least 10 ministers may resign from the Uttar Pradesh government.

The pre-poll churning in Uttar Pradesh has seen the BJP getting a jolt with six MLAs resigning from the party and three ministers quitting amid signals that they will join Samajwadi Party. Dharam Singh Saini became the third minister on Thursday who has resigned from the Yogi Adiyanath government in the last four days.

Sanjay Raut, on Friday, in an exclusive interview to ANI said, "This figure will keep on increasing. Look at the way people were working under pressure for five years. No work has happened in BJP's rule. People of Uttar Pradesh are saying that event management does not mean running the government. Talking of 80:20 per cent political polarisation may work but state and country can not develop."

"Yesterday I met many unemployed people in the poll-bound state and they want change in Uttar Pradesh. When important ministers, OBC leaders are leaving, you can understand in which direction the wind is blowing," Raut told ANI.

Many leaders, who left the party over the past few days, accused the BJP government of not bothering about the rights of minorities and backward classes. Senior Shiv Sena leader reacted sharply on the number of ministers quitting the Uttar Pradesh government. He said, "As per my knowledge, this is just the beginning. 10 more ministers may resign in the coming days."

Raut reiterated that party will contest elections on 50-100 seats in Uttar Pradesh.

"I met Rakesh Tikait ji yesterday. It was not a political meeting. Uddhav Thackeray ji also spoke to him over the phone and told him that the fight for the cause of farmers is still very long and is not over yet. We will definitely fight assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh between 50 to 100 seats and we are preparing for it," he further told ANI.

The seven-phase Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly polls to be held between February 10 and March 7. The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP won a landslide victory winning 312 Assembly seats. The party secured a 39.67 per cent vote share in the elections for 403-member Assembly. Samajwadi Party bagged 47 seats, BSP won 19 while Congress could manage to win only seven seats.