UP election 2017: Mulayam Singh aide Ambika Chaudhary joins BSP; Mayawati mocks SP, Cong

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and Mulayam Singh Yadav's loyalist Ambika Chaudhary joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Saturday in its supremo, Mayawati's presence. "I have resigned from the posts of Samajwadi Party and I am now joining Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) with full dedication," Chaudhary told the media.

Expressing his gratitude to the BSP supremo, Chaudhary said, "I am thankful to Behen ji for including me in her party." "I have resigned from Samajwadi Party and all positions related to the party and have dedicated myself completely to BSP now," said Chaudhary.  

Taking a dig at the breakup of the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Congress alliance, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday said both the parties are like sinking boats. The BSP supremo said the news of alliance has exposed selfish motive of Congress. 

Alleging the SP of goondaism by recalling Muzaffarnagar riots and Bulandshahr rape case, Mayawati said the crime rates increased under their regime. 

The ruling party released first list of 191 candidates on Friday covering the first three phases of the seven-phase polling beginning on February 11. It later released a list of second list of 19 candidates for the same.

The highlight of the list is inclusion of names of several Akhilesh Yadav loyalists who were left out in an earlier list of candidates that his father Mulayam Singh Yadav had released last month. 

The inclusion of Shivpal in SPs list of candidates indicates reconciliation between father and son. A defiant Akhilesh had last month announced his own candidates after his father's list did not accommodate many of his key aides.

With ANI/PTI inputs