BJP-backed SP rebel MLA elected as Deputy Speaker of UP assembly

BJP-backed rebel Samajwadi Party MLA Nitin Agarwal was elected as the Deputy Speaker of the UP Assembly on Monday. Agarwal won with 304 votes against Samajwadi Party's Narendra Varma, who managed only 60 votes, with the support of the BJP. 368 votes were cast in the assembly with a total strength of 403.

Nitin Agarwal is the son of former minister Naresh Agarwal. He joined ranks with the BJP in 2018. Though the Samajwadi Party had filed a disqualification petition against him, it was rejected by the Speaker. Terming it against democratic norms, the SP repeatedly sought the postponing of the elections.

Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary claimed that the post of Deputy Speaker traditionally belongs to the opposition. The ruling BJP decided on a candidate with taking the opposition into confidence, he slammed. He further added that the SP candidate had got votes in excess of its strength (49) in the assembly while the BJP-led coalition had got votes less than its declared strength.

The Congress boycotted the elections accusing the BJP of diverting the attention from the various problems in the state. They alleged that the election to the post was only for distraction purposes as there are barely a few months left for the assembly. They added that both the BJP and SP are keener on the elections than discussing the various issues in the state.

"Neither the BJP nor the Samajwadi Party want to ensure justice for farmers killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence or to discuss this important issue. They are into a friendly fight and so we are boycotting the Deputy Speaker's election and sitting on a dharna," UPCC president Ajay Kumar Lallu said.