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BJP removes dissident as its chief whip in UP

Tripathi is one of the active members of the dissident group who are demanding that the party pull out of the coalition government led by the Bahujan Samaj Party and support it from outside. They are also asking for the removal of Lalji Tandon as leader of the BJP legislature party.

The party has initiated a process to disqualify 10 party MLAs from the state assembly for supporting the candidature of arms dealer Suresh Nanda to Rajya Sabha. It is also contemplating similar action against four members of the legislative council -- Ramashish Rai, Bharat Tripathi, Awadh Pal Singh, and Ajit Singh.

The BJP has decided to appoint senior leader Om Prakash Singh as deputy leader of the its legislature party. Earlier, Tandon was the deputy leader, but the post had been lying vacant ever since he was elevated as the leader following Rajnath Singh's resignation.

Two more senior leaders, Narendra Singh Gaur and Harish Chandra Srivastava, had been considered for the post, but the party decided on Om Prakash Singh.

An announcement to this effect is likely to be made in a day or two, a senior BJP leader said. In the wake of dissident activities in the BJP, the party leadership is holding meetings of its legislature party every month to address the grievances of legislators.

These meetings will be held on the last Wednesday of each month. But, to start with, next month's meeting will be held on December 4, a BJP spokesman said.