Lucknow, May 20: Anil Rajbhar, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and Minister of State, on Monday, was given additional charge of departments headed by sacked minister Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) Chief Om Prakash Rajbhar. The Minister was dismissed by the Governor on recommendation of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cabinet earlier on Monday. Rajbhar had been making statements against the BJP and its leadership. Governor Ram Naik dismissed him from ministerial position on the recommendation of the Chief Minister.  The leader, while, speaking to reporters immediately after his dismissal, said that he welcomed the decision.

On the last day of polling on Sunday, the estranged BJP ally-Rajbhar along with Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief had said that the SP-BSP alliance was poised for a big win in Purvanchal (eastern Uttar Pradesh), just days after he claimed to have walked out of the Adityanath government. The Rajbhar community leader, who has considerable clout in eastern Uttar Pradesh, had already asserted that his party had not campaigned for the BJP in the just concluded elections. BJP's Estranged Ally Predicts Lok Sabha Elections Results 2019.

He was miffed over denial of seats of his choice in the state, and had fielded 39 candidates in eastern Uttar Pradesh, including in Varanasi from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought re-election. According to reports by IANS, Rajbhar had earlier claimed that he had sent his resignation to the Chief Minister on April 13 but BJP sources claim that the resignation was "nowhere to be found".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 20, 2019 03:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).