Uttar Pradesh: SP Rajya Sabha MP meets Yogi, sparks speculations of a crossover

If Yadav switches over to BJP, he is bound to have an impact on the OBC voters. Meanwhile, after taking charge of the party, Akhilesh Yadav is alleged to have neglected Sukhram Singh.
Chaudhary Sukhram Singh Yadav (File Photo| Facebook)
Chaudhary Sukhram Singh Yadav (File Photo| Facebook)

LUCKNOW: Jolted by dissensions despite having given a tough fight to the ruling BJP in the recently concluded assembly polls, the Samajwadi Party seems to be in for another blow as its Rajya Sabha MP Sukhram Singh Yadav’s recent meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has fuelled speculations of a switch over to the saffron brigade.

Sukhram Yadav is considered to be a close aide of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and his younger brother and Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party –Lohia (PSPL) chief Shivpal Yadav. Sukhram Yadav’s son Mohit has already left the SP to join the BJP.

Sukhram Yadav, who has earlier been the chairman of the Legislative Council, met CM Yogi Adityanath with his family members and presented a book written on his father Chaudhary Harmohan Singh.

On the recommendation of SP patriarch and the then SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, Sukhram Singh Yadav was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2016. However, the scenario changed after Akhilesh took over as party president deposing Mulayam on January 1, 2017. While Shivpal was stripped of all party posts and he parted ways from nephew Akhilesh floating his own outfit PSPL in September 2018, Mulayam loyalists, including Sukhram Singh Yadav, started feeling neglected in the party. Then Sukhram was also seen standing tall with Shivpal Yadav in his efforts to consolidate his political standing in the state.

Sukhram Singh Yadav is considered to hold clout among the Yadavs and OBC voters. He is also the National Vice President of Akhil Bharatvarish Yadav Mahasabha.

However, when asked about Sukram’s next move, his son Mohit Yadav did not respond to questions. The sources claimed that the SP MP had also distanced himself from Akhilesh Yadav’s Vijay Rath Yatra during the UP Assembly elections.

If Sukhram Singh Yadav switches over to the BJP will be a shot in the arm of the ruling party which is making efforts to improve its hold among the OBC and Yadav voters ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Sukhram Singh Yadav comes from Kanpur which has a significant number of OBC voters. If Yadav switches over to BJP, he is bound to have an impact on the OBC voters. Meanwhile, after taking charge of the party, Akhilesh Yadav is alleged to have neglected Sukhram Singh.

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