Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kesri Nath Tripathi on September 6 night accorded recognition to the 37-member breakaway Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) group and allowed its merger with the Samajwadi Party.

With the merger of 37 rebel BSP MLAs who formed Loktantrik Bahujan Samaj Party (LBSP), headed by Rajendra Singh Rana, the strength of the Samajwadi Party has gone up to 181 in the 403-member House.

The Speaker's decision was announced by his principal secretary R P Pandey.

Pandey told reporters that the Speaker had reserved his ruling on objections raised by BSP legislature party leader Swami Prasad Maurya.

The Speaker would give his ruling in a couple of days, Pandey said.

On six other MLAs who have also reportedly deserted BSP, Pandey did not say anything.

PTI