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Sanjayan Tripathi joins the Samajwadi Party after being denied the BJP ticket for the MLC election. (Img: X)
Gorakhpur: Dr Sanjayan Tripathi joined the Samajwadi Party on Saturday after the BJP denied him a ticket for the Gorakhpur-Faizabad teacher MLC election. After filing his nomination as an independent and removing the BJP flag from his vehicle, Tripathi has now been named the SP candidate for the same seat.
The rapid sequence has brought the Gorakhpur-Faizabad Legislative Council contest into focus, with Tripathi moving from BJP ticket aspirant to independent candidate and then to an SP nominee within days.
Sanjayan Tripathi had been seeking the BJP nomination from the Gorakhpur-Faizabad teacher constituency. The party, however, chose sitting MLC Dhruv Kumar Tripathi as its candidate.
Following the announcement, Sanjayan Tripathi decided to contest independently. He filed his nomination and publicly removed the BJP flag from his vehicle, signalling his separation from the party. His decision attracted attention in Gorakhpur political circles and became a major talking point during the nomination process.
His move came after he had been associated with the BJP and had sought the party's support for the Legislative Council election. Once the party selected another candidate, Tripathi decided to remain in the electoral contest independently rather than withdraw.
The situation changed rapidly after discussions with the Samajwadi Party leadership.
After filing his independent nomination, Tripathi came into contact with the Samajwadi Party leadership in Lucknow. Former Chillupar MLA Vinay Shankar Tiwari was also reported to have played a role in facilitating contact between Tripathi and the SP leadership.
The SP had already announced Kamlesh Yadav as its candidate for the Gorakhpur-Faizabad teacher seat. However, Kamlesh Yadav's nomination programme was postponed as discussions over a possible change in the party's candidate gathered pace.
On October 3, the SP formally changed its candidate and named Sanjayan Tripathi for the seat. This means Tripathi will now contest on the SP ticket after initially entering the election as an independent.
The BJP announced Dhruv Kumar Tripathi as its candidate for the Gorakhpur-Faizabad teacher constituency. Sanjayan Tripathi had also been seeking the nomination.
Following the BJP's decision, Tripathi filed his nomination as an independent. His removal of the BJP flag from his vehicle became one of the most visible moments of the episode and drew attention across local political circles.
The development also triggered speculation about whether he would remain an independent candidate or join another political party. That speculation ended when Tripathi joined the Samajwadi Party and received its nomination for the same MLC seat.
The Samajwadi Party had initially selected Kamlesh Yadav for the Gorakhpur-Faizabad teacher seat. He had begun preparing for the nomination process and had purchased nomination papers.
His nomination programme was subsequently postponed. At the same time, discussions involving Sanjayan Tripathi and the SP leadership gained momentum.
The party ultimately decided to replace Kamlesh Yadav with Tripathi. The change has given the contest a different candidate lineup, with Sanjayan Tripathi now representing the SP against BJP candidate Dhruv Kumar Tripathi.
Tripathi has been active in electoral politics and education-related activities in the Gorakhpur region for several years. He joined the BJP in 2022 and had earlier sought the party's nomination for the Gorakhpur-Faizabad graduate MLC election. The BJP selected Devendra Pratap Singh instead, after which Tripathi supported the party candidate.
Before joining the BJP, Tripathi had contested elections on different political platforms. He contested the Kaudiram Assembly bypoll in 2006 as an independent and the 2007 Assembly election as a Congress candidate.
He later contested the Gorakhpur-Faizabad graduate MLC election and finished second, according to reports. His involvement in teacher and education-related politics has kept him active in Legislative Council contests.
The biggest talking point in the episode is the rapid change in Tripathi's political position. He first sought the BJP ticket for the teacher MLC seat. The BJP selected Dhruv Kumar Tripathi. Sanjayan then filed his nomination as an independent and removed the BJP flag from his vehicle.
Soon after, discussions began over his possible move to the Samajwadi Party. He subsequently met SP president Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow and joined the party. The SP then replaced Kamlesh Yadav and named Sanjayan Tripathi as its candidate.
The sequence has made the Gorakhpur-Faizabad teacher MLC election one of the closely watched Legislative Council contests in Uttar Pradesh.
For Sanjayan Tripathi, the election marks a significant change in political positioning. He entered the race seeking a BJP ticket, filed as an independent after the party selected another candidate and has now entered the contest as the SP nominee.
