Ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav inducted senior Gonda politician Bhawani Bhikh Shukla, a close associate of former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, into the party along with his five sons. The switch is being seen as an attempt by SP to make inroads into Bhushan’s political turf in east UP. It came even as Akhilesh sharpened his attack on the BJP over the absconding model Shraddha Dubey, accused in the high-profile Shiva Sharma murder case. Akhilesh alleged that the BJP was choosing to “see no evil and hear no evil” and was remaining silent because influential names could emerge during the investigation.
Firearms row deepens dramatic couple feud
The long-running feud between Kunda MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh, ‘Raja Bhaiya’, and his estranged wife, Bhanvi Singh, has taken another dramatic turn, this time over firearms. Bhanvi has alleged that she is being set up in an Arms Act case after receiving a notice from the Pratapgarh administration regarding licensed weapons issued in her name. She claims that three licensed firearms linked to her are in Singh’s possession of her husband that she has been complaining about it since 2023. Instead of recovering the weapons, authorities served her with a notice, she said. Taking to X, she wondered whether the notice was a prelude to a “false Arms Act case”.
Nearly 8% of votes invalid in UP MLC polls
Teachers appeared to struggle with ballot paper in the UP Legislative Council elections. Nearly 8% of votes cast in 11 graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies were declared invalid, exposing the quirks of a voting system that requires voters to rank candidates rather than simply press a button. Of the 6.84 lakh votes polled, 54,304 were rejected. The irony was most visible in teachers’ constituencies, where 14,185 of 1.92 lakh votes (7.39%) were invalid, up from 4.72% in 2020. Bareilly-Moradabad topped the chart with a rejection rate of 9.05%, followed by Meerut at 9%. Graduates fared little better. Lucknow Graduates’ recorded the highest rejection rate at 9.09%.
Namita Bajpai
Our correspondent in Uttar Pradesh
namita.bajpai@newindianexpress.com