Two former Samajwadi Party leaders join BJP

Two former Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders, who had quit their party and Rajya Sabha membership recently, joined the BJP on Saturday, lauding the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Surendra Singh Nagar, a two-time Member of Parliament, and Sanjay Seth, a well-known realtor of Uttar Pradesh who was the SP's treasurer, joined the BJP in the presence of its general secretary Bhupender Yadav and its media head Anil Baluni.

Both Mr Nagar and Mr Seth praised Modi's leadership and lauded his government's decision to scrap the provisions of Article 370 to end Jammu and Kashmir's special status in the Constitution.

Mr Yadav said Mr Nagar has been an important leader in Uttar Pradesh, while Mr Seth too held significant positions in the SP.

The SP no longer represents its foundational values, he said.

Mr Nagar, a Gurjar leader from western UP, and Mr Seth had quit their party during the recent Parliament session.

The BJP may name the two leaders as its candidates for the bypolls to contest the Rajya Sabha seats vacated by them.

The BJP's win is all but certain due to its huge majority in the state Assembly.

The BJP has successfully wooed a number of Rajya Sabha MPs from rival parties, including the Congress, Telugu Desam Party and the SP, recently.

The rise in the saffron party''s numbers in the House, coupled with its success in securing support from several regional parties, has resulted in the Union government being able to push its legislative agenda in the Raja Sabha.