Politics

Former BJP MP Dharmendra Kashyap and Daughter Join Samajwadi Party in Lucknow

By Mayank Kumar

Former Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Dharmendra Kashyap, who represented the Aonla Lok Sabha constituency in Bareilly district, and his daughter Kirti Kashyap joined the Samajwadi Party on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, in Lucknow. Kashyap had resigned from the BJP earlier and met SP president Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on October 11, accompanied by his daughter. The meeting intensified speculation that he would join the SP. Yadav welcomed the former MP and daughter, saying, “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.” Kashyap, who comes from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category and is influential in Bareilly district, said that after joining the SP he believes the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh has collapsed and that members of backward communities were being denied justice. He added, “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.”