Cracks In Samajwadi Party? How Rajbhar's Claims Could Alter UP's 2027 Battle

Published 17 June 2026 · local

Cracks In Samajwadi Party? How Rajbhar's Claims Could Alter UP's 2027 Battle Published By, Last Updated: June 17, 2026, 15:03 IST The timing of Rajbhar's

Cracks In Samajwadi Party? How Rajbhar's Claims Could Alter UP's 2027 Battle Published By, Last Updated: June 17, 2026, 15:03 IST The timing of Rajbhar's claim has attracted attention because it comes amid turbulence within opposition nationally, with recent upheavals involving the TMC and Shiv Sena (UBT). Rapid Read Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. (Image: PTI) The political rumour mill in Uttar Pradesh is working overtime after Uttar Pradesh minister and SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar claimed that a major split was brewing inside the Samajwadi Party (SP). Rajbhar has alleged that SP veteran Ram Gopal Yadav had written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and suggested that parts of the party were prepared to move towards the BJP camp. He also linked the alleged unease within SP to old probes related to the mining scam and the Gomti Riverfront project. “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. Forget Maharashtra and Bengal – the entire SP is sitting ready to join the BJP," Rajbhar posted on X. समाजवादी पार्टी में बड़ी टूट होगी। राम गोपाल यादव ने केंद्रीय गृहमंत्री अमित शाह जी को चिट्ठी सौंपी है।खनन घोटाला और गोमती रिवर फ्रंट घोटाला का मास्टरमाइंड कौन है, पूरा उत्तर प्रदेश जानता है। शिकंजा कस रहा है तो सपा परेशान है। महाराष्ट्र बंगाल छोड़िए, समूची सपा, भाजपा में… Om Prakash Rajbhar (@oprajbhar) June 17, 2026 “Don’t keep your attention only on Maharashtra; it is UP’s number now. Didn’t you see that Ram Gopal ji has given a letter to Amit Shah ji and told him that these are the names, call them and take them with you, but keep us safe," he said while speaking to ANI. #WATCH | Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh Minister and founder of Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party, OP Rajbhar, says, “Only when someone is ready to be bought, people will buy them. Don’t keep your attention only on Maharashtra; it is UP’s number now. Didn’t you see that Ram Gopal ji has… pic.twitter.com/EYVM9CDXi0— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) June 17, 2026 So far, neither the BJP nor SP has produced evidence supporting the claims, and the allegations remain political assertions rather than established facts.

Yet the timing has attracted attention because it comes amid turbulence within opposition politics nationally, with recent upheavals involving the TMC and Shiv Sena (UBT). The bigger, however, question is what a split in SP would mean if it were to happen ahead of the crucial 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. SP’s Position In UP Politics SP is not just another opposition party in Uttar Pradesh. It is the principal challenger to the BJP in India’s most politically important state. In the 2022 Assembly election, SP won 111 of the state’s 403 seats, emerging as the clear opposition force. Together with allies, the SP-led alliance reached 125 seats, while the BJP-led NDA secured 273. The party’s revival became even more visible in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, where SP emerged as one of the strongest opposition performers nationally, winning 37 parliamentary seats from Uttar Pradesh. That resurgence transformed Akhilesh Yadav from a regional opposition leader into one of the INDIA bloc’s most important faces. Is There Any Visible Fault Line Inside SP? At present, there is no public evidence of a rebellion on the scale seen in Maharashtra’s Shiv Sena split or the NCP split. However, political observers have pointed to several underlying pressures over the past few months. The party remains heavily dependent on the Yadav family leadership. Ticket distribution ahead of 2027 could trigger dissatisfaction among ambitious leaders. SP has had episodes of cross-voting and internal dissent in recent Rajya Sabha elections. The party has also expanded rapidly by inducting leaders from BSP, Congress and smaller regional outfits, creating competing power centres. The most significant internal challenge for SP is balancing its traditional Yadav-Muslim base with Akhilesh Yadav’s broader PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) social coalition. If key OBC leaders or influential regional satraps were to leave, the political impact could be disproportionate to their numbers. What Happens If MPs Leave? The Rajya Sabha Factor A split would not only affect the 2027 Assembly election but could also alter parliamentary arithmetic. SP is currently among the larger opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha and has a sizeable Upper House presence led by leaders such as Ram Gopal Yadav. If a substantial group of Rajya Sabha MPs were to break away and either merge with another party or support the NDA, the consequences would include reduced speaking strength for SP in Parliament, weaker opposition coordination within the INDIA bloc, greater ease for the NDA in managing contentious legislation, and loss of committee positions and negotiating leverage.