Samajwadi Party split next? In bombshell claim, UP minister says ‘entire SP ready to join BJP’; Akhilesh responds

AMid turmoil in due west Bengal's Trinamool united states congress and bombinate of a brewing split up in Maharashtra's Shiv Sena (UBT), venture of a possible split in former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP) surfaced on Tuesday after state minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party chief OP Rajbhar claimed that the opposition party could face a major exodus.In a cryptic post on X, Rajbhar alleged that senior SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav had approached Centre amid mounting pressure over alleged corruption cases and claimed that several party leaders were preparing to switch sides. Track latest updates in turmoil in opposition parties here“A major split is going to happen in the Samajwadi Party. Ram Gopal Yadav has submitted a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah ji. Everyone in Uttar Pradesh knows who the mastermind behind the mining scam and Gomti River Front scam is. As the noose tightens, the SP is getting anxious,” the post in Hindi stated. Forget Maharashtra and Bengal— the entire SP is sitting ready to join the BJP, Rajbhar added in the post.Akhilesh Yadav respondsResponding to the claims, Samajwadi Party supremo took a sharp dig at the the Uttar Pradesh minister, questioning his statements and motives.On Rajbhar's remark, Akhilesh Yadav said, "Dana aur gana kab tak chalega yeh afsana [how long will their 'benefits and songs' continue]" Samajwadi Party spokesperson Manish Singh also responded, asking Rajbhar to assess his own capabilities first before commenting on SP.“Before commenting on the Samajwadi Party, Om Prakash Rajbhar ji should first assess his own political strength and capabilities. The number of workers and leaders in your entire party is not even equal to the number of workers and leaders in a single block of our party,” Singh was heard saying in a video shared by PTI news agency. The remarks come at a time when two major opposition parties are grappling with internal rebellions.In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress has been hit by one of its biggest crises since losing the recent Assembly election to the BJP. The party is facing a twin challenge - a rebellion by MLAs in the state assembly and a revolt by MPs in Parliament.A faction of 58 TMC MLAs has backed Ritabrata Banerjee's claim to the Leader of the Opposition post, challenging the leadership's choice. The development has triggered a legal battle, with the party approaching the Calcutta high court.The crisis deepened after MP Kakoli Ghosh claimed the support of 19 other lawmakers and announced backing for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The group of 20 MPs has since sought to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a move that would help them evade the anti-defection law if approved by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.In Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) is also battling speculation of a split with ‘Operation Tiger’ gaining momentum. Operation Tiger is the name given to the alleged attempts by Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party to poach Sena (UBT) elected representatives.It gained steam on Tuesday evening as Leaders of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena said six MPs from the rival Sena (UBT) are likely to form a separate group and are expected to submit a letter to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla. They will then merge with the Sena’s Lok Sabha unit, an earlier HT report quoted as saying Sena insiders.Who are the six suspected rebel Sena UBT MPsThe above-mentioned insiders also said three Sena (UBT) MPs – Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Deshmukh and Bhausaheb Wakchaure – arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday and did not respond to phone calls from party leaders.The six MPs who are likely to form a breakaway group are: Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi), Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal), Nagesh Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli), Omraje Nimbalkar (Dharashiv), Sanjay Patil (Mumbai North East). However, this could not be independently verified.Nimbalkar and Patil’s positions were not confirmed until Tuesday evening but they were in talks with Sena leaders, said sources.Thackeray has only three of his nine MPs backing him: Arvind Sawant (Mumbai South), Anil Desai (Mumbnai South Central) and Rajabhau Waje (Nashik).If six Sena (UBT) MPs cross over to the Sena, it would make up two-thirds of the party’s Lok Sabha unit – allowing them to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.