Lucknow: Signs of an intensified political battle ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections emerged this week after two senior ministers in the Yogi Adityanath government claimed that the Samajwadi Party (SP) was headed for an internal split, prompting SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to accuse the BJP of using fear and inducements to engineer defections.
A day after Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya claimed that "25 to 26" Samajwadi Party MPs were ready to defect, Uttar Pradesh Cabinet minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar asserted that a major split in the opposition party was imminent.
Maurya said the BJP was not attempting to poach MPs from the SP, but claimed they would leave the party on their own before the 2027 Assembly elections.
"Twenty-five to twenty-six Samajwadi Party MPs are ready to split. We are not breaking the party. By 2027, they will leave on their own. What has happened to the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, the Samajwadi Party will face an even worse fate in the upcoming Assembly elections," the deputy chief minister said.
Rajbhar echoed the sentiment on Wednesday, drawing parallels with the political turmoil in Maharashtra and the rebellion in the Trinamool Congress.
"Do not keep your attention only on Maharashtra. Uttar Pradesh is next. Only when someone is ready to be bought can someone buy them," Rajbhar told reporters, suggesting that divisions within the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP could soon come to the surface.
He also alleged that senior SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav had secretly written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, naming leaders who were willing to switch sides while seeking protection for himself. Rajbhar did not provide any evidence to substantiate the allegation.
The coordinated attacks from two senior members of the state government came amid heightened political activity as parties prepare for the 2027 Assembly elections.
Responding to the claims at a press conference at the Samajwadi Party's state headquarters in Lucknow, Akhilesh Yadav dismissed the predictions of a split and accused the BJP of relying on coercion to weaken opposition parties.
With a smile, he remarked, "Gaana aur daana, kab tak chalega ye afsana."
Akhilesh alleged that the BJP had previously broken away Samajwadi Party MLAs and members of the Legislative Council by offering inducements and using intimidation.
"They lured and threatened MLAs and MLCs. Those who are afraid will leave, but politics needs courageous people," he said.
The SP chief also claimed that it was the BJP, not his party, that was facing internal discontent.
"BJP's own MLAs are waiting to switch sides. Some people reveal their cards only at the right time," he said.
Rejecting the ministers' claims, Akhilesh asserted that the Samajwadi Party remained united and had weathered several political challenges in the past.
The exchange signals that the contest ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections is increasingly shifting beyond electoral issues to a battle over political stability, defections and the opposition's ability to remain united against the BJP.
