Former BJP MP Dharmendra Kashyap joins Samajwadi Party

Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Aonla Lok Sabha constituency in Bareilly district, Dharmendra Kashyap, and his daughter, Kirti Kashyap, joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Tuesday (October 27, 2026) in Lucknow. Earlier, Mr. Kashyap resigned from the BJP and met SP president Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on October 11, accompanied by his daughter. Following the meeting, speculation about his joining the SP had intensified.“The joining of former MP Shri Dharmendra Kashyap and his daughter, Ms. Kirti Kashyap, in the “PDA Movement” has multiplied our strength in Bareilly, Rohilkhand, and throughout Uttar Pradesh. We heartily congratulate them and all those who joined them. With our promise of ‘Respect for all, place for all’, we will move forward taking everyone along. Today is a special day in the sense that those who once fought elections face to face have today forgotten all competition and have united hand in hand for the larger objectives of the PDA,” said Mr. Yadav, while welcoming the former MP. Mr. Kashyap, hailing from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category is influential in Bareilly district. After joining the SP, Mr. Kashyap alleged that the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh has collapsed and that members of backward communities were being denied justice. “Bulldozers are used against marginalised social groups under the BJP government. I assure that injustice will end and people will get justice in the future SP rule,” he said. Published - October 28, 2026 04:00 am IST