Former SP MLA Pooja Pal alleged that gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed was the biggest financier of Samajwadi Party. She further said UP CM Yogi Adityanath is a ‘Dhurandhar CM’ for ending the empire of mafias like Atiq Ahmed. Pooja was expelled by SP after she praised Adityanath for taking action against Ahmed. Her husband was shot dead by Ahmed in 2005.