In an apparent damage control exercise following a nationwide outrage, BJP on Thursday expelled its MLA Kuldeep Singh Senger, who was accused of raping a teen and conspiring to kill two members of her family.
''Senger has been expelled from the party,'' a senior UP BJP leader here said.
Sources said that the lawmaker was also likely to be shifted from Sitapur district jail to some other jail after allegations that he had been using cell phones to keep in touch with his henchmen from inside the prison.
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BJP was under tremendous pressure to act against the lawmaker after allegations that he might have been the brain behind Sunday's ''road accident'' in which two aunts of the rape victim were killed. The victim sustained serious injuries and was battling for life at the hospital here.
Earlier the saffron party had claimed that it had ''suspended'' the MLA long back though it admitted that no press release had been issued in this regard.
UP BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh was summoned to Delhi by the central leadership of the party on Wednesday night to what the sources said discuss action against Senger.
BJP had drawn flak from different quarters after it failed to act against the MLA even 15 months after the incident.
Former state BJP president Mahendra Nath Pandey had rejected the demand for the MLA's sacking after he was accused of rape. ''We will take action if he (Senger) is convicted by the court,'' he had then said.
The opposition parties have attacked the BJP for its failure to act against the rape accused MLA.
Senger, a four-time MLA from Banagrmau assembly seat in Unnao, hailed from the powerful 'Thakur' caste and reportedly enjoyed the support of the leaders of his caste within the BJP.