india

Updated: Jul 16, 2019 16:50 IST

Neeraj Shekhar, former Samajwadi Party leader who resigned from the Rajya Sabha on Monday, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday.

He was welcomed at the party headquarters by BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav.

Son of former prime minister Chandra Shekhar, a prominent Thakur face from eastern Uttar Pradesh, Shekhar has been upset with Akhilesh Yadav for ignoring his claim on his late father’s Ballia Lok Sabha seat in this summer elections, a person familiar with the matter said.

Shekhar’s resignation has brought down the SP’s tally in the Upper House to 12 and the strength of the House to 240.

The BJP is the largest political party in the House with 78 MPs, and it can hope to improve the tally by one when the bypoll for the seat vacated by Shekhar is conducted.