Samajwadi Party flag.
Credit: PTI File Photo.
Lucknow: Four Samajwadi Party MLAs who cross-voted for the BJP in the February 27 Rajya Sabha elections have been allocated Y-category security, a senior government official said on Sunday.
He added that the four MLAs who got Y-category security are Abhay Singh (Gosaiganj), Manoj Kumar Pandey (Unchahar), Rakesh Pratap Singh (Gauriganj) and Vinod Chaturvedi (Kalpi), respectively.
These four MLAs, alongside three other party legislators -- Pooja Pal, Rakesh Pandey and Ashutosh Maurya -- had cross-voted for the BJP in the Rajya Sabha elections, leading to saffron party candidate Sanjay Seth defeating Samajwadi Party nominee Alok Ranjan.
Maharaji Prajapati, another MLA, had abstained.
Rakesh Pandey is the father of MP Ritesh Pandey, who recently switched from the BSP to the BJP.
As part of the Y-category security, eight CRPF personnel will guard these MLAs. Five personnel will guard their residences while the rest will travel with them.
"While Abhay Singh was allocated the security cover on Friday, the three others got it on Saturday," the official said.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had said after the Rajya Sabha elections that 'they (MLAs) have gone (to the BJP) due to the 'package' they got and security'.