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The Loktantrik Congress Party in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday split with its pro-government ministers expelling Naresh Agarwal and electing Shyam Sundar Sharma as a new leader in his place.
This step cleared the cloud over the Rajnath Singh government following the expulsion of LCP leader Naresh Agarwal.
The LCP legislature party met in Lucknow on Saturday.
Fifteen LCP MLAs, all ministers, attended the meeting which also decided to continue support to the BJP-led government, said LCP leader Fateh Bahadur.
The meeting also decided to elect a new national president in place of Agarwal.
With the LCP split, Chief Minister Rajnath Singh appears to have staved off any threat to his government retaining the support of more than half of the members in the 403-member assembly.
Fateh Bahadur, Bachha Pathak and Vinay Panday, who were not present at the meeting, had also reportedly conveyed their support to Sharma.
Singh claimed that another party MLA Vikramjit Maurya, who had so far sided with Agarwal, has extended support to the government.
Agarwal, who returned to Lucknow on Saturday, claimed support of six of his party ministers.
He met Samajwadi Party Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and later told newsmen that the two discussed future strategy including the need to 'expose' the BJP-led government.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Congress party demanded dismissal of the Rajnath Singh government and imposition of President's rule in Uttar Pradesh.
The party said the BJP-led government has lost its majority following withdrawal of support by LCP.
A government mustering support through 'horse-trading' should not be allowed to continue, the Congress said.
A delegation of Congress leaders met Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri and submitted a memorandum to him demanding imposition of central rule in the state leading to fresh elections.
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