The Crossbill News Desk
The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Thursday (August 13) expelled its Chail MLA, Pooja Pal, just hours after she publicly praised Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s “zero-tolerance” policy on crime. The move marks the fourth expulsion of a rebel legislator by the SP in less than two months.
Pal, the widow of slain BSP MLA Raju Pal, made her remarks during the ongoing 24-hour Assembly debate on the Vision Document 2047, crediting the chief minister for finally delivering justice in her husband’s 2005 murder case.
“The chief minister heard me when no one else did. His zero-tolerance policy led to the killing of criminals like Atiq Ahmed. Today, the entire state looks at him with trust,” she said, adding in Hindi that Adityanath had “buried” her husband’s killer.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav issued her expulsion letter the same day, citing “anti-party activities” and “serious indiscipline.”
The letter stated that Pal had repeatedly defied warnings, caused “significant damage” to the party’s image, and was hence dismissed with immediate effect, also barring her from all party events.
Pal’s political career has been marked by shifting allegiances. She entered politics soon after Raju Pal’s murder in January 2005, initially contesting as a BSP candidate. She won the Allahabad West seat in 2007 and 2012, lost in 2017 to the BJP, and joined the SP in 2019 after being expelled from the BSP by Mayawati. She won the Chail constituency in 2022.
This is not her first brush with controversy in the SP. In February 2024, Pal was among seven SP MLAs who cross-voted in favour of BJP-backed candidates during the Rajya Sabha elections. While three others — Abhay Singh, Rakesh Pratap Singh, and Manoj Pandey — were expelled in June, Pal was spared at the time, reportedly due to caste considerations and her influence among the Pal community.
Senior SP leader Udaiveer Singh said the party had given her ample opportunities to correct her stance because of her “vulnerable community” background but alleged she may have acted out of “fear” or under BJP pressure. “We gave her a ticket from the seat of her choice, even considered fielding her from Unnao — but she deceived us,” he said.
Pal, however, remained defiant after her expulsion. She insisted her praise for Adityanath stemmed from personal loss, not political betrayal. “I am the voice of mothers and sisters who have lost loved ones. I was a victim first, a wife first,” she said, stressing that her statement was about justice, not partisanship.
Political observers saw the expulsion as long-expected. Senior journalist Mudit Mathur argued that while Akhilesh Yadav had the right to enforce discipline, a show-cause notice should have preceded the decision. Analyst Utkarsh Singh noted the party now has another leader from the Pal community — state president Shayamlal Pal — making the move easier without risking a key vote bank.
Reacting to the development, Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak accused the SP of having an “anti-women” mindset and defended Pal’s remarks as a legitimate expression of gratitude toward the chief minister’s governance.
Pal, the widow of slain BSP MLA Raju Pal, made her remarks during the ongoing 24-hour Assembly debate on the Vision Document 2047, crediting the chief minister for finally delivering justice in her husband’s 2005 murder case.
“The chief minister heard me when no one else did. His zero-tolerance policy led to the killing of criminals like Atiq Ahmed. Today, the entire state looks at him with trust,” she said, adding in Hindi that Adityanath had “buried” her husband’s killer.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav issued her expulsion letter the same day, citing “anti-party activities” and “serious indiscipline.”
The letter stated that Pal had repeatedly defied warnings, caused “significant damage” to the party’s image, and was hence dismissed with immediate effect, also barring her from all party events.
Pal’s political career has been marked by shifting allegiances. She entered politics soon after Raju Pal’s murder in January 2005, initially contesting as a BSP candidate. She won the Allahabad West seat in 2007 and 2012, lost in 2017 to the BJP, and joined the SP in 2019 after being expelled from the BSP by Mayawati. She won the Chail constituency in 2022.
This is not her first brush with controversy in the SP. In February 2024, Pal was among seven SP MLAs who cross-voted in favour of BJP-backed candidates during the Rajya Sabha elections. While three others — Abhay Singh, Rakesh Pratap Singh, and Manoj Pandey — were expelled in June, Pal was spared at the time, reportedly due to caste considerations and her influence among the Pal community.
Senior SP leader Udaiveer Singh said the party had given her ample opportunities to correct her stance because of her “vulnerable community” background but alleged she may have acted out of “fear” or under BJP pressure. “We gave her a ticket from the seat of her choice, even considered fielding her from Unnao — but she deceived us,” he said.
Pal, however, remained defiant after her expulsion. She insisted her praise for Adityanath stemmed from personal loss, not political betrayal. “I am the voice of mothers and sisters who have lost loved ones. I was a victim first, a wife first,” she said, stressing that her statement was about justice, not partisanship.
Political observers saw the expulsion as long-expected. Senior journalist Mudit Mathur argued that while Akhilesh Yadav had the right to enforce discipline, a show-cause notice should have preceded the decision. Analyst Utkarsh Singh noted the party now has another leader from the Pal community — state president Shayamlal Pal — making the move easier without risking a key vote bank.
Reacting to the development, Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak accused the SP of having an “anti-women” mindset and defended Pal’s remarks as a legitimate expression of gratitude toward the chief minister’s governance.
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