Akhilesh Yadav has been accusing the BJP of pressuring the party’s MLAs.Seven Samajwadi Party (SP) MLAs have cross-voted for the BJP in the recent Rajya Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, prompting SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to assert that the decision to field a third candidate was a strategic move aimed at testing the true allegiance of his party members.
Describing the third candidate nomination as a “loyalty test,” Akhilesh Yadav wrote in Hindi on X, “Our decision to contest the third seat in the Rajya Sabha was essentially a litmus test to sift allies from dissenters, and to ascertain who stood with the PDA in spirit and who harbored sentiments contrary to the interests of backward classes, Dalits, and minorities.”
The concept of PDA — Picchde, Dalits, and Alpsankhyak — was introduced by Yadav in June 2023 as a counter to the BJP-led NDA, with the promise that “PDA hi NDA ko harayega” (It will be the PDA that defeats the BJP-led NDA). While the SP’s core vote bank traditionally comprised Yadavs and Muslims, recent electoral setbacks have prompted Yadav to broaden the party’s appeal to include Dalits, OBCs other than Yadavs, and minorities other than Muslims.
As the voting process for the 10 Rajya Sabha seats began in the state, Akhilesh Yadav expressed satisfaction, stating, “Now everything is crystal clear; securing the third seat signifies our triumph.”
The list of SP MLAs who cross-voted includes Rakesh Pandey, Rakesh Pratap Singh, Abhay Singh, Vinod Chaturvedi, Manoj Pandey, Ashutosh Maurya, and Pooja Pal. One legislator, Maharaji Prajapati, was absent from the proceedings.
Earlier in the day, Manoj Pandey, the SP MLA from Unchahar, resigned from his position as the party’s chief whip, delivering a setback to Akhilesh Yadav. Pandey’s resignation was promptly accepted, and his nameplate was removed from outside the chief whip’s office.
This turn of events followed the absence of eight party MLAs, including Manoj Pandey, from a meeting convened by Akhilesh Yadav the previous day. The purpose of the meeting was to brief MLAs about the Rajya Sabha election process.
The ongoing Rajya Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh have drawn significant attention, with eight BJP candidates and three from the SP vying for the 10 available seats. Prominent political figures, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, and Akhilesh Yadav, cast their votes in the state Assembly.
SP MLA Rakesh Pratap Singh cross-voted for the BJP and chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’. Sources said that 10 MLAs from the Samajwadi Party are in contact with the BJP for an eighth Rajya Sabha seat and could cross-vote for the party, hinting at potential further defections.
This sudden development threatens the SP’s prospects in this crucial election and exacerbates the party’s anxieties months ahead of the general election. With the SP slated to contest 63 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh as part of the INDIA alliance, any discord within the party before the polls would deal a severe blow.
Yadav has been accusing the BJP of pressuring the party’s MLAs. He explained this is BJP’s modus operandi. They instill fear, issue threats, exploit agencies, or dredge up old cases to exert pressure. However, these tactics will not sway this election, he said on Monday.
The BJP’s eight candidates include former Union Minister RPN Singh, former MP Chaudhary Tejveer Singh, general secretary of BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit Amarpal Maurya, former state minister Sangeeta Balwant (Bind), party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, former MLA Sadhna Singh, former Agra mayor Naveen Jain, and Sanjay Seth.
The SP has put forward actor-MP Jaya Bachchan, retired IAS officer Alok Ranjan, and Dalit leader Ramji Lal Suman as its candidates. While the BJP has enough support to secure victory for seven candidates, its decision to field an eighth has prompted a contest, which could be decisive if cross-voting occurs.
Voting ended at 4 pm, and counting is scheduled to start at 5 pm. To get elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh, a candidate needs nearly 37 first-preference votes.
The BJP and the SP are the two largest parties in the 403-member state assembly, with 252 MLAs and 108 MLAs respectively. The Congress, an ally of the SP, holds two seats. BJP ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) has 13 seats, the NISHAD Party has six seats, RLD has nine seats, SBSP six, Jansatta Dal Loktantrik two, and the BSP has one seat, with four seats currently vacant.