In a blow to the BJP, its lawmaker from Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj today resigned and joined Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party. Shyama Charan Gupta will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Banda as a Samajwadi Party candidate. A former Samajwadi Party man, Mr Gupta had contested Lok Sabha elections from Banda on a Samajwadi Party ticket in 1999 but had lost to a candidate from Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party. He, however, won from Banda in 2004.
