Another UP minister claims defections likely from SP, Congress: 'Most MPs, MLAs in touch with us'

AMid claims by Uttar Pradesh government government minister OP Rajbhar and surrogate chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya nearly a possible defection from the Samajwadi company ranks, another minister Sanjay Nishad joined the chorus on Thursday, asserting that more than two dozen MPs from the SP and Congress were willing to join his party ahead of the 2027 state assembly election.Despite these claims, the SP asserted on Thursday that its house is in order.The war of words comes at a politically sensitive time when speculation is growing about early assembly electionsAlso read: 6 UBT MPs skip meet, may merge with Shiv Sena as split buzz haunts Thackeray factionNishad, the Uttar Pradesh fisheries minister and the NISHAD party chief, claimed that the MPs with a Hindutva ideology were ready to join his party. The NISHAD party is a key ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh.“...Most of the MPs and MLAs are in touch with us, asking us to somehow take them to Delhi and facilitate a conversation with the central leadership,” he said.Also read: TMC factions sit separately as West Bengal assembly session starts, first public display of splitWhen pressed for a specific figure regarding how many Opposition MPs are looking to cross over, Nishad provided a rough estimate, stating, “I think there are no less than two dozen as of today.”TMC, Sena-UBT rebellionThe murmurs in Uttar Pradesh follow recent political developments involving the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) that ignited fresh discussion over the possibility of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coming within striking distance of the two-thirds majority needed in Parliament to pass constitutional amendments for delimitation of constituencies and women’s reservation.For his part, Rajbhar on Thursday made fresh claims about an imminent split in the SP.Speaking to reporters in Azamgarh, considered a Samajwadi Party stronghold, he said, “A major split in the Samajwadi Party is certain, much like what happened with the TMC and Shiv Sena.”“Everyone has been asking since yesterday: is a split imminent in the SP? Well, listen to this! A son of Uttar Pradesh’s ‘rebel land’ will lead the faction of dissident SP MPs,” Rajbhar further posted on X.He asked Akhilesh Yadav to “save his MPs”.On Wednesday, Rajbhar had claimed a large number of SP leaders were ready to switch sides while deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya supplemented the claim with his assertion that 25 to 26 Samajwadi Party MPs are poised to leave the party ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.Making every effort to project unity, Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav termed Rajbhar’s allegations a “BJP conspiracy” meant to mislead the public and grab media attention.Shivpal was echoing party national president Akhilesh Yadav who had dismissed the claims of an imminent split on Wednesday itself and is also understood to have spoken to senior leaders.Speaking to the media in Lucknow on Thursday, Shivpal asserted that no MP from the party would defect.“BJP people lie. They also keep conspiring from time to time. No MP of the Samajwadi Party will break away,” he said.The SP won 37 Lok Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 general election.“All our MLAs and MPs are standing firmly with the party and we will form a strong government under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh in 2027,” Shivpal added.Addressing the media at the SP headquarters in Lucknow on Wednesday, Akhilesh Yadav had said, “The SP remains united. It has weathered many ups and downs in its journey. It is a strong party, and it remains strong. Our people are brave.”Reacting to the BJP’s claims of an ‘imminent split’ in the Samajwadi Party, Anil Yadav, general secretary (Organisation) Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, said, “The BJP has always engaged in the politics of rumours. I don’t think a split in SP is possible.”