Nineteen days after UP Chief Minister Mayawati asked her ministers to remove criminals and mafia from government projects, Chandra Bhadra Singh alias Sonu Singh, a historysheeter involved in at least 10 criminal cases, including one of murder, was admitted in the BSP on Tuesday.

Singh is a two-time Samajwadi Party MLA from Isauli constituency in Sultanpur. He came out of jail three months ago after getting bail from the Allahabad High Court in the murder case of Sant Gyaneshwar, who was killed on February 10, 2006.

Three others, accused in the case, including his brother Yashbhadra Singh alias Monu Singh, are still behind bars.

Chandra Bhadra resigned from the Assembly and joined the BSP in the presence of Public Works Department Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Lalji Verma.

Siddiqui said Chandra Bhadra has expressed his faith in the BSP’s policy and was “impressed by behanji’s style of functioning”. “I joined the BSP because I like the agenda and policies of the party,” Chandra Bhadra said, adding that Siddiqui had asked him to join the party.

Harendra Pratap Singh, officer in-charge of Kurebhar police station in Sultanpur, confirmed his unit has a crime dossier on Chandra Bhadra, including cases of assault, extortion and threatening.

Chandra Bhadra, however, said the cases against him were false. “The NSA was invoked against me in 2008 but was quashed by the Allahabad High Court. I have been framed in the Gyaneshwar murder case,” he added .

He is considered close to BSP MP from Jaunpur, Dhananjay Singh, also a historysheeter.

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