Dharmendra Kashyap, the former Member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh's Aonla constituency who recently parted ways with the Bharatiya Janata Party, held a key meeting with Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on Sunday. He was accompanied by his daughter Kirti Kashyap and several senior Samajwadi Party functionaries from the Bareilly region. The high-profile interaction immediately triggered widespread speculation across the state's political landscape regarding his formal induction into the Samajwadi Party. Following the meeting, the party chief shared photographs of the interaction on social media, describing the engagement as a cordial courtesy visit.
Discussions on strengthening the PDA movement
Taking to social media platform X, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav posted pictures from the interaction and termed it a friendly meeting. He noted that constructive discussions took place with Dharmendra Kashyap, who has represented the Aonla parliamentary seat twice, regarding combined initiatives to make the PDA movement considerably stronger, more capable, and actively functional. Yadav reiterated that the PDA platform, which champions backwards, Dalits, and minorities, remains the only political force genuinely capable of offering dignity, respect, and representation to every aggrieved and marginalised individual.
Groundwork for daughter's poll debut and party switch
Having bid farewell to his former political outfit in Bareilly, Dharmendra Kashyap engaged in detailed political discussions in Lucknow and discussed fielding his daughter Kirti Kashyap in upcoming electoral contests. With visual records of the discussion circulating across social media platforms, political observers view this as a clear signal that the two-time parliamentarian is set to enter the Samajwadi Party fold while securing institutional backing for his daughter's political career.
Prior to this development, Dharmendra Kashyap had voiced sharp grievances regarding his treatment in the BJP. He had publicly shared that he was feeling suffocated within the organisation due to a persistent lack of respect. The former MP had stated that certain individuals were failing to support him during elections and were instead acting disloyally against him, which ultimately forced him to tender his resignation voluntarily.
Senior regional leaders coordinate the Lucknow meeting
The high-level interaction in the state capital saw active coordination from prominent Samajwadi Party leaders from the Bareilly district. Samajwadi Party district president Shubhelesh Yadav, former Rajya Sabha MP Veerpal Singh Yadav, and former state minister Bhagwat Sharan Gangwar accompanied Dharmendra Kashyap and Kirti Kashyap to facilitate their transition into the party. Veerpal Singh Yadav also officially shared photographs of the gathering across his social media handles, confirming the convergence of political forces.
Resignations follow from community supporters and party workers
The decision of Dharmendra Kashyap to step down has triggered a notable ripple effect across the local grassroots machinery. A significant number of community workers from the Kashyap fraternity along with loyal supporters have begun tendering their resignations from the BJP in solidarity with the former parliamentarian. Numerous supporters have posted images of their formal resignation letters on social media networks, openly declaring their departure from the ruling party to align with the former lawmaker.
