Furious Maya strips state BSP chief of ministry

In an embarrassing fallout of the BSP’s poor show in the Lok Sabha election, the party’s state unit president Swami Prasad Maurya had to resign as Co-operatives Minister on Tuesday. Maurya lost the election from the Kushinagar seat. Sources say Mayawati was furious about his defeat at the hands of the Congress and asked him to put in his papers.

However, the official reason is that he is not a member of either House of the state legislature. As per the rule book, a person has to become a member of either house within six months of becoming a minister or chief minister. Maurya’s tenure as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) ended on January 30.

A BSP leader said that Mayawati could have accommodated him as an MLC since 9 legislative council seats in the ‘nominated’ category are still vacant. The CM can nominate people of her choice to these seats. But, Mayawati is apparently too cut up with the state president to do that.

“Behn ji has asked Maurya ji to contest an election and only then he would be made a minister,” revealed a BSP insider. By-election to 11 Assembly seats are to be held within six months, and Maurya is expected to contest one of them. These seats have been vacated by legislators who contested the Lok Sabha election.

Maurya was not available for comment. For the time being, the only consolation for him is that Mayawati has allowed him to continue as the state unit president. However, party insiders say that tenure, too, is not expected to last long.