Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 11 (ANI): Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Dharmendra Kashyap joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Sunday after meeting party president Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow, according to the Samajwadi Party.

Kashyap was accompanied by his daughter, Kirti Kashyap, during the meeting held at the Janeshwar Mishra Trust in Lucknow.

The meeting was also attended by Bareilly district SP president Shubhlesh Yadav and party leader Virpal Singh.

According to the Samajwadi Party, Kashyap had recently hinted at leaving the BJP through a social media post in which he wrote, “Tata Bye Bye”.

Kashyap is a prominent political figure in Bareilly district, particularly in the Aonla region. He represented the Aonla Lok Sabha constituency as a BJP MP in 2014 and 2019.

However, he lost the 2024 Lok Sabha election to Samajwadi Party candidate Neeraj Maurya.

According to the party, Kashyap is preparing to field his daughter, Kirti Kashyap, on an SP ticket in an upcoming election.

His entry into the Samajwadi Party comes after his association with the BJP, under whose banner he represented the Aonla constituency in two consecutive Lok Sabha elections. (ANI)