Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Wednesday expelled her confidant Naseemuddin Siddiqui from the party. His son has also been thrown out.

BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra announced the decision in Lucknow.

Mishra alleged that Siddiqui was involved in "anti-party activities" and had taken money from candidates during the assembly elections in which the BSP's tally fell to an all-time low of 19.

Mishra also accused Siddiqui, a three-time senior minister in BSP governments, of being a partner in many slaughter house businesses and of having "benami" properties at many places.  

Known as the most visible minority face of the BSP, Mayawati had earlier divested Siddiqui of all his duty in Uttar Pradesh and had sent him as in-charge of party work in Madhya Pradesh.

The BSP has been out of power in Uttar Pradesh since 2012. It did not win a single seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.