UP Assembly polls: Samajwadi Party never worked for welfare of OBCs', says Ghanshyam Lodhi after joining BJP

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 17 : Ahead of the assembly elections, Samajwadi Party (SP) MLC Ghanshyam Lodhi, who joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday slammed SP saying that they never worked for the development of other backward classes (OBCs).
Lodhi also alleged that party chief Akhilesh Yadav has inducted people into the party who have criminal cases against them.
Speaking to ANI, Lodhi said, "Samajwadi Party says something else and does something else. SP has been in power for four terms, but they never worked for the development of OBCs. Akhilesh Yadav has added such people to his party who have 10-20 criminal cases against them."
SP MLC Shailendra Singh and Ghanshyam Lodhi on Sunday joined BJP in Lucknow.
Earlier on Sunday, taking a jibe at Samajwadi Party workers, Union Minister Anurag had said that "people joining SP do riots, people joining BJP catch rioters".
Speaking to media persons in Lucknow today, Thakur said, "People joining SP do riots, people joining BJP catch rioters. SP MLAs are either in jail or on bail, that's their original game."
Meanwhile, BJP released its first list of 107 candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh in which it denied tickets to 20 sitting MLAs and fielded 21 new candidates.
The party has released the list for the first and second phase of elections scheduled to be held on February 10 and 14.
Keeping the caste arithmetic balanced and for gaining voters, BJP has fielded women on 10 seats, OBC candidates on 44 seats and scheduled castes (SC) candidates on 19 seats, accounting for 60 per cent of the total.
Elections for the 403 Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases starting February 10.
The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7 in seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.