A sitting BJP MP in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday resigned from the party and joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) after he was denied renomination for the upcoming polls.

In an apparent display of resentment, Anshul Verma — the lawmaker from Hardoi Lok Sabha seat — handed over his resignation letter to the ‘chowkidar’ at the BJP headquarters here, to register his protest against the ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’ campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He also gave Rs 100 to the watchman, asking him to hand over the resignation letter to those concerned at the party office.

“I was denied a ticket because I hail from the Dalit community. “The BJP has denied renomination to six Dalit sitting MPs. It seems Dalits are worth nothing in the party,” Verma said.

The BJP has fielded Jai Prakash Rawat from Hardoi, replacing Verma. Hardoi is a reserved constituency.

Verma had earlier also opposed the ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’ campaign and had refused to add ‘chowkidar’ before his name on his Twitter handle.

Over two dozen sitting BJP MPs have been denied renomination by the saffron party in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, triggering widespread resentment within the party. Sources said that several sitting MPs could turn rebels and either contest as independents or join rival parties.

Chaudhary Babulal, who was denied ticket from Fatehpur Sikri seat, has convened a meeting of his supporters to decide about his future course of action.

Mriganka Singh, the daughter of senior BJP leader Hukum Singh, who was also denied ticket from Kairana seat, reacted sharply and alleged a conspiracy against her by some of her own party leaders.