Dharmendra Kashyap joins Samajwadi Party after leaving BJP

Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Dharmendra Kashyap has joined the Samajwadi Party (SP). Kashyap, who represented the Aonla Lok Sabha constituency in 2014 and 2019, met with SP president Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on October 11 to formalize the move.

Kashyap was accompanied by his daughter, Kirti Kashyap, during the meeting at the Janeshwar Mishra Trust. Political analysts suggest his transition could strengthen the Samajwadi Party’s outreach among Other Backward Classes (OBC) in the Bareilly and Rohilkhand regions. This move is seen as a strategic effort to bolster the party’s PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) coalition ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. There are indications that Kirti Kashyap may be considered for an SP ticket in upcoming elections.