Ritesh Pandey Quits BSP & Joins BJP Days After Lunch With PM Modi

Mumbai: Ritesh Pandey on Sunday resigned from BSP and joined BJP in the presence of UP Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak. This comes a few days after PM Narendra Modi had lunch with a few MPs, including Pandey, at the Parliament canteen.

Sharing the pictures of their meeting, Pandey had said: “It was truly an honour to be invited by the Prime Minister @narendramodiji for lunch today and learn how he used his insights from the 2001 Bhuj Earthquake to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. What an insightful discussion – thank you for having us over!”

Ritesh Pandey shared his resignation letter addressed to BSP chief Mayawati on X, formerly known as Twitter. “For a long time, neither am I being called to attend party meetings nor has the party leadership spoken to me. I made numerous efforts to get in touch with and meet you (Mayawati) and the top leadership of the party but it did not yield any result,” Ritesh Pandey wrote in the resignation letter.

He added, “During this time, I continuously met workers and supporters of other parties in my area and was also involved in various works going on in the constituency. Hence, I have come to the conclusion that the party does not need my service and presence.”

“…So, I do not have any other option apart from resigning from the primary membership of the party. The decision to break the relationship with the party is a difficult decision from the emotional point of view,” the letter further read.

Following his victory over BJP opponent Mukut Bihari in the general elections, Ritesh Pandey has been the representative for the Ambedkar Nagar seat since 2019. He represented the Jalalpur constituency as an MLA from June 2017 to May 2019 before that. In January 2020, he was named the BSP’s leader in the Lok Sabha.  

The former BSP MP has participated actively in a number of parliamentary committees, such as the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021, the Standing Committee on External Affairs, and the Joint Parliamentary Committee to examine the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019.

Out of 539 MPs nationwide, Pandey is placed 19th in the Parliamentary Business Survey. He is also the youngest MP to appear in the Top 20.

Follow us on Twitter, Google News, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook for the latest updates and exciting stories.