Ruling BSP MLA from Bharthna seat Shiv Prasad Yadav announced to take sanyas from politics on Saturday. He has communicated his decision to quit politics in a letter which was handed over to media persons by his supporters in Etawah on Saturday. Shiv Prasad,who had joined the BSP before the 2007 Assembly elections,was elected to the Assembly from Bharthna seat in the by-election in 2009. The by-election was necessitated after the resignation of the sitting MLA and former CM Mulayam Singh Yadav from the seat. Mulayam Singh was elected to Lok Sabha seat from Manpuri and thus he had resigned from the seat. Insiders in the BSP said Shiv Prasad decided to quit politics a day after his meeting with BSP state president Swami Prasad Maurya in Lucknow. Shiv Prasad had met Maurya on Friday and submitted a letter containing his grievances against the government officials posted in Auraiya district. After not getting any reply even on Saturday,he made public his decision to quit politics, a source in Etawah said. In the letter,Shiv Prasad made it clear that he would remain a supporter of Chief Minister Mayawati. Regarding reason for taking Sanyas from politics, Shiv Prasad in his letter has written that current circumstances were not in his favour. Insiders in the BSP said since his present seat Bharthna has been put under reserved categories after the delimitation,he was asked to contest the 2012 assembly elections from Bidhuna seat. Bidhuna falls under Auraiya district, the source added. According to him,Shiv Prasad was upset over his failure to assert his position before the Bidhuna district administration. As the reports about Shiv Prasads announcement reached Lucknow,the BSP managers swung into action to persuade him to change his decision. PWD minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui called him to visit Lucknow to hear his grievances. He is on his way to Lucknow, a source close to Shiv Prasad said. Shiv Prasads victory as BSP nominee in the by-election to the Bharthna seat was considered to be a major setback for SP in its stronghold. He wanted himself to be projected as BSPs face among Yadav voters in Etawah and Auraiya districts. But he could not get any such opportunity, another source in Etawah said. He is second BSP leader who has made announcement to quit politics in recent past. Earlier,Labour minister Badshah Singh had made similar announcement to quit politics in December last year. However,after party leaderships assurance to select him from Mahoba seat,he has almost dropped his plan to quit politics. Despite repeated attempts,Shiv Prasad could not be contacted over phone.
