Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Former Uttar Pradesh minister and MP Dharmendra Kumar Kashyap on Wednesday said he would make a formal announcement about joining a new political party only after consulting his workers and supporters, amid speculation over his political future.
The BJP leader’s remarks came days after he posted a sunset picture on Facebook with the words “Tata Bye-Bye”, shortly after the party announced its Rajya Sabha candidates from Uttar Pradesh.
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Kashyap, an OBC leader and former two-time Aonla MP, was reportedly hoping for a Rajya Sabha nomination but was not included in the BJP’s list. The party has fielded Uttar Pradesh Cabinet minister Dharampal Singh and Shruti Gangwar, daughter of former Union minister and former Jharkhand governor Santosh Gangwar, from Bareilly district.
Kashyap has not formally announced his resignation from the BJP. However, speaking to reporters, he expressed his displeasure over what he described as the party’s failure to act against those who had worked against him during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“Those who openly opposed me and worked to defeat me in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, if they are made to sit in the front row of the party, it will certainly hurt. When the party takes no action against such people and does not even express concern, it becomes natural for a self-respecting person like me to say ‘Tata Bye-Bye’,” he said.
He stopped short of announcing his next political move but indicated that a return to the Samajwadi Party could be on the cards. Asked whether he would join the SP, Kashyap said, “Where my next political destination will be, everyone will know very soon.”
He said meetings of his supporters were being held not only in Aonla but across Bareilly district and the Bareilly division.
“The formal announcement about joining a new party will be made only after taking the opinion of workers and supporters,” he said.
Kashyap is considered one of the prominent political faces of the Kashyap community in the Rohilkhand region. He switched from the Samajwadi Party to the BJP in May 2013.
Beginning his political career at the grassroots level, Kashyap went on to represent Aonla in the Lok Sabha in 2014 and 2019. He narrowly lost the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the constituency.
With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due next year, Kashyap’s next political move is being closely watched.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
