Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Spokesperson R.P. Singh on Monday, 19 October 2026, launched a sharp attack on Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav ahead of the party's announcement to release its manifesto for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on Constitution Day, 26 November 2026. Singh alleged that voters in UP had already endured what he called 'goonda raj' and 'mafia raj' during the SP's previous tenure in power.

BJP's Broadside Against SP

'The people of Uttar Pradesh have already seen the party's previous promises and witnessed the 'goonda raj' and 'mafia raj' in the state. The people of Uttar Pradesh do not want such promises or a government run by goons and mafias,' Singh alleged. His remarks came just hours after Yadav formally declared the date for releasing the party's election manifesto, which the SP has branded the 'Jan-Man Manifesto'. This is the latest in a series of escalating verbal salvos between the two parties as the 2027 polls draw closer.

SP Positions Manifesto as 'Sacred Document'

Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad pushed back firmly, describing the party's election manifesto as a document of the highest integrity. 'For us, the election manifesto is like a sacred document. We treat it with the same faith and reverence with which we regard religious scriptures, bow before them and follow their teachings in our conduct. Whatever we promise before the elections, once the government is formed, we fulfil those promises over the next five years under all circumstances,' Prasad said. Yadav had earlier announced on X that the manifesto would be unveiled under the banner 'The Resolve of '27: The PDA's Manifesto' on the occasion of Constitution Day.

Electoral Roll Row Adds to Tensions

The pre-poll skirmish is unfolding against the backdrop of a controversy over the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. On Sunday, Yadav urged SP workers to remain vigilant at their respective polling booths, alleging that the ruling BJP-led state government was conspiring to create fake votes. He also accused the state government of undermining educational and examination systems in the state.

Yogi Adityanath Fires Back on Education

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath responded on Saturday by targeting the SP's record on education. Addressing a Teachers' and Graduates' Conference in Lucknow, Adityanath compared the SP and education to 'the two banks of a river that can never meet.' He alleged that the so-called 'Saifai Syndicate' — a term critics use in reference to SP leadership's influence from Saifai village — had weakened recruitment procedures and created an identity crisis for the youth of the state.

What to Watch Ahead of 2027

With Uttar Pradesh's 403 assembly seats at stake in 2027, the early exchange of charges signals that both parties are framing their campaigns well in advance. The SP's choice of Constitution Day for the manifesto release carries deliberate symbolic weight, appealing to its core PDA (Pichda, Dalit, Alpasankhyak) voter bloc. Whether the manifesto rollout can shift the narrative away from law-and-order accusations — and toward welfare promises — will be a key test for Yadav's pre-election strategy.