Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Wednesday claimed that 25-26 Samajwadi Party (SP) MPs are prepared to leave the party, while asserting that the BJP is not attempting to engineer a split in the opposition camp.
Speaking to reporters, Maurya took a swipe at SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and said the party would never return to power in the state.
"25-26 MPs of the Samajwadi Party are ready to break away, but we are not breaking them away at all. We know that they will themselves break away from the party." Maurya said.
The remarks came amid escalating political speculation after Uttar Pradesh Minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar claimed that a major political realignment was underway within the SP.
Doubling down on his assertions on Thursday, Rajbhar said a split in the Samajwadi Party was inevitable and suggested that Akhilesh Yadav focus on retaining his MPs.
In a post on X, Rajbhar wrote, "Ever since yesterday, everyone's been asking what's about to break in the SP? So listen! The rebel faction of SP's dissident MPs will be led by a 'red' from Uttar Pradesh's 'Rebel Land.'"
"And why wouldn't he? The way the SP office yesterday insulted Brahmins under the guise of a conference has deeply hurt the 'red' of 'Rebel Ballia.' The plan was already in place, but yesterday's incident has poured ghee into the fire. The split is definitely going to happen," he added.
Rajbhar further targeted the SP leadership, urging Akhilesh Yadav to address discontent within the party instead of relying on social media outreach.
"The way the entire Saifai family jumped into abusing me and issuing clarifications over one of my reactions--it's far better for Akhilesh Babu to drop this Twitter, such-and-such, and PC-style leadership, and instead launch a 'Save Our MPs' campaign," Rajbhar said.
"And go to the homes of the upset and disappointed MPs to apologise to them," he added.
Rajbhar's remarks, along with claims from BJP leaders that several SP MPs were considering switching sides, have fuelled fresh speculation about unrest within the opposition party ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
However, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and other party leaders have strongly dismissed the allegations, describing them as politically motivated attempts to divert attention from issues confronting the BJP government.
The claims have surfaced amid parallel political chatter over a possible split among Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs and reports of a potential merger involving around 20 Trinamool Congress MPs and the Nationalist Citizens Party of India.
(With inputs from ANI)