UP Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey disqualified four MLAs of the ruling SP from the membership of the state assembly under the Anti-Defection Act.
LICKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey on Saturday disqualified four MLAs of the ruling Samajwadi Party from the membership of the state assembly under the Anti-Defection Act for voting for BSP candidates in the recent Rajya Sabha biennial polls in the state.
Pandey said violation of the SP whip to vote for the party or party-supported candidates in the RS polls by the four MLAs - Omvati Devi, Sunderlal, Aratan Lal Ahirwar and Kalyan Singh Doahre - tantamounted to voluntarily leaving the party attracting the disqualification clause in the tenth schedule.
The Speaker said SP had issued a clear direction to its MLAs during the RS elections to vote in favour of party candidates or those supported by the party in preferential order.
He said the petitioner and SP state general secretary Shivpal Singh Yadav had been appointed as an agent of the party and was present during the polling to verify the votes caste by the party MLAs.
The respondent MLAs did not vote as directed and their ballot papers were verified by the petitioner as the authorised agent which proved they had voted for BSP candidates, Pandey said.
The MLAs had also declared publicly that they had voted for BSP in the RS polls and news reports in this regard were also published in newspapers, he added.
Yadav had moved a petition before the Speaker seeking disqualification of five party MLAs who had voted for BSP candidates in the RS polls in March this year.
One of the MLAs Kamlesh Pathak had later moved an application stating that he had replied to the show cause notice served upon him by the party and the matter was under consideration.
Pathak had also pleaded that his matter be separated from that of the other four MLAs following which Pandey posted his petition for hearing on August 21.
The speaker, in his order, accepted the contention of the petitioner that the SP and BSP were 'arch rivals' and no SP member could have any truck with that party.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=spacer}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}