Samajwadi Party MLA and leader Manoj Kumar Pandey tendered his resignation from the position of party chief whip on Tuesday amid the ongoing voting for the 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.
His resignation from the post comes just a day after eight MLAs of the Samajwadi Party skipped a meeting called by party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Voting is currently underway for the 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh, with eight candidates from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and three from the Samajwadi Party contesting for the seats.
While the ruling BJP and the principal opposition SP have sufficient numbers to secure seven and three seats respectively in the Rajya Sabha unopposed, the BJP's decision to nominate an eighth candidate has set the stage for a competitive contest for one of the seats.