Intro: Senior leaders dismissed defection rumours and accused rivals of spreading misinformation ahead of elections.
Lucknow
The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Thursday strongly rejected claims of an impending split within the party, dismissing reports of internal discord and possible defections by its Members of Parliament as politically motivated speculation.
Senior party leaders accused ruling alliance figures in Uttar Pradesh of attempting to create confusion and weaken the Opposition through unfounded allegations.
The controversy intensified after statements by Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya suggested that several Samajwadi Party lawmakers were considering switching their allegiance. Maurya reportedly claimed that as many as 25 to 26 SP MPs were prepared to leave the party, triggering widespread political debate and media speculation.
Responding to the allegations, Samajwadi Party General Secretary Shivraj Singh Yadav dismissed the remarks as baseless and accused political opponents of spreading false narratives.
He questioned Maurya’s political credibility and electoral record, stating that the Samajwadi Party had repeatedly defeated him in elections. According to Yadav, such statements reflect a pattern of misinformation rather than genuine political developments.
The remarks come at a time when Opposition politics has been under increased scrutiny following reports of internal divisions in several regional parties. Recent developments involving political realignments and leadership disputes in other Opposition groups have fueled speculation about the stability of various alliances ahead of future elections.
Questions regarding the possibility of defections were also raised during a recent media interaction with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. He firmly rejected the suggestion that party members were considering leaving, asserting that Samajwadi Party workers and leaders were capable of resisting what he described as attempts by political rivals to undermine the organisation.
Other SP leaders also rallied behind the party leadership and criticized the statements made by BJP leaders. Senior party leader Awadhesh Prasad argued that the comments reflected anxiety within the ruling camp rather than weakness within the Opposition. He claimed that political uncertainty ahead of upcoming electoral contests had prompted rivals to engage in speculation about defections.
Similarly, SP Member of Parliament Rajiv Rai dismissed the claims as an expression of frustration and desperation. He accused opponents of attempting to generate headlines through provocative statements rather than addressing substantive political issues.