Those who were removed were Forest Minister Fateh Bahadur Singh, Technical Education Minister Sadal Prasad, Haj Minister Anees Ahemad alias Phul Babu and Wakf Minister Shahjil Islam Ansari. None of them could be reached for comment as their phones were switched off.

In another development, Ayurveda Minister Daddan Mishra, who was denied party ticket to contest from Shrawasti’s Bhinga seat which he represents in the Assembly, sent in his resignation.

The BSP also dropped from its list of candidates Small-Scale Industry Minister Chandradeo Ram Yadav, whose removal the Lokayukta has recommended for working as headmaster of one school and manager of another even after becoming a minister. He represents Mubarakpur constituency in Azamgarh district.

After Friday’s dismissals, the number of ministers Mayawati has dropped in the past six days has gone up to 10. The BSP has so far denied ticket to more than 80 of its 200-odd MLAs, including several ministers. Mayawati has called a meeting of party coordinators at her residence on Saturday to discuss the final list of candidates, sources said.

In a statement, a BSP spokesman said the four ministers had been sacked to prevent them from misusing their official position and putting undue pressure on the people in the elections.

The party had received complaints that they were not paying attention to the people’s problems, neglecting their constituencies and local party workers, leading to resentment, the statement said.

Of the four, the Lokayukta had indicted Anees Ahemad alias Phul Babu many months ago for misusing his MLA local area development fund, while he is probing complaints of corruption against Fateh Bahdur Singh and Sadal Prasad.

Fateh Bahadur, who is the son of former Congress chief minister the late Vir Bahadur Singh, is a fourth-term MLA from Paniyara in Maharajganj district. He was elected to the Assembly as a Congress nominee in 1991 and 1996, later joined the BJP and won as its candidate in 2002, before joining the BSP.

BSP gen secy, son join SP

BSP general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Naresh Agarwal, along with his son Nitin Agarwal and another MLA Rajeshwari Devi, both of whom have been denied ticket by the BSP, joined the Samajwadi Party on Friday. The BSP said it had already expelled them for “anti-party activities”.

A known party-hopper, Agarwal and his son had joined the BSP in 2008 after resigning from the SP. He had also resigned as an MLA from Hardoi. The BSP had fielded Nitin in the by-election from Hardoi 2008, which he had won, while Agarwal was sent to the Rajya Sabha.