Akhilesh missing from SP poster as Shivpal credited for MLC poll win
Synopsis
An SP poster in Lucknow celebrating the party's MLC election win conspicuously left out party chief Akhilesh Yadav while crediting uncle Shivpal with the slogan 'Chacha Hain Toh SP Hai' — a small hoarding that has opened up a big question about unity inside the Samajwadi Party as the 2027 UP elections loom.
Key Takeaways
An SP poster in Lucknow on 30 October 2026 credited Shivpal Yadav for the party's MLC win, with no mention of Akhilesh Yadav .
The hoarding carried the slogan 'Chacha Hain Toh SP Hai' , referring to Shivpal as Akhilesh's uncle.
SP won 5 of 11 UP MLC seats ; BJP won 6 , retaining its pre-poll tally while SP added 2 seats to its previous count.
SP swept both Varanasi seats — Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies — in PM Modi's Lok Sabha constituency .
SP spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chand alleged BJP interference in ballot paper elections; Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak dismissed SP's reading of the results.
A Samajwadi Party poster in Lucknow sparked an internal controversy on Friday, 30 October 2026, after it credited senior leader Shivpal Yadav — and not party chief Akhilesh Yadav — for the SP's victory in five of the 11 seats in the recent Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council (MLC) elections. The hoarding, reportedly put up by a party worker, carried no image or mention of Akhilesh, fuelling speculation about fissures within the party ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
What the Poster Said
The hoarding bore the slogan 'Chacha Hain Toh SP Hai' — a direct reference to Shivpal Yadav, who is the uncle of Akhilesh Yadav. It further read: 'Many congratulations for a record win in the MLC polls.' The complete absence of the SP president from a party victory poster drew immediate attention, with political observers noting the optics could not have been more pointed.
MLC Election Results: What Actually Happened
In the latest round of UP MLC polls, the Samajwadi Party won five seats while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured the remaining six. Although the BJP retained its pre-election tally, the SP improved its position by adding two seats to its previous count — a gain the party described as a positive signal ahead of the 2027 state polls.
One of the standout results came from Varanasi, where the SP won both the Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies. The significance was not lost on political watchers: Varanasi is the Lok Sabha constituency represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making the double win a symbolic talking point for the opposition.
SP and BJP Trade Barbs Over the Results
SP spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chand said the results demonstrated that the BJP faces difficulty when elections are conducted through ballot papers. He alleged that the ruling party had attempted to influence the process in certain places. 'In Uttar Pradesh, when elections were held through ballot papers, the BJP lost. The BJP also slowed down the voting process in ballot paper elections and, in some places, its workers misused the administration to influence certain seats through their arbitrary actions. They tried to stop the Varanasi results; however, they were not able to stop the public from expressing their stand,' Chand said.
The BJP was quick to push back. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, speaking to reporters on Friday, said: 'The Samajwadi Party should not live under any illusion. The people of Uttar Pradesh are with the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the BJP will win the 2027 elections with a massive majority.'
The Shivpal Factor and What It Signals
The poster episode is the latest chapter in the long-running dynamic between Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Yadav, whose political relationship has oscillated between alliance and rivalry over the past decade. Shivpal had floated his own outfit — the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) — before eventually returning to the SP fold. His apparent elevation in the poster, whether orchestrated or opportunistic, adds a layer of internal ambiguity to the party's otherwise buoyant narrative around the MLC results. With the 2027 Assembly elections less than two years away, any perception of disunity within the SP could matter as much as its seat count.
Point of View
But its impact is disproportionate — it has handed the BJP a ready-made narrative about SP's internal cohesion just as the party was building momentum off the MLC results. The Akhilesh-Shivpal relationship has always been the SP's most combustible variable; every time it flares, even symbolically, it distracts from the party's electoral story. More telling is the SP's own framing of the MLC results as a 2027 preview: winning five of eleven council seats is a respectable gain, but projecting it as a statewide verdict requires the party to project unity, not uncle-nephew optics. The Varanasi wins are genuinely significant and deserved louder amplification — instead, the poster controversy is now the headline.
NationPress
30 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the SP poster in Lucknow show?
The SP poster, reportedly put up by a party worker in Lucknow on 30 October 2026, credited Shivpal Yadav for the party's MLC election victory using the slogan 'Chacha Hain Toh SP Hai.' It contained no image or mention of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, triggering a political row.
How did the Samajwadi Party perform in the UP MLC elections?
The SP won five of the 11 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council seats contested in the latest round of polls, adding two seats to its previous tally. The BJP secured the remaining six seats, retaining its pre-election count.
Why is the Varanasi MLC result significant?
The SP won both the Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies in Varanasi — the Lok Sabha seat represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The opposition has highlighted this as a symbolic setback for the BJP on the PM's home turf.
Who is Shivpal Yadav and why is his relationship with Akhilesh notable?
Shivpal Yadav is the uncle of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and a senior party leader. Their relationship has swung between rivalry and alliance over the years — Shivpal had previously launched a separate party before returning to the SP fold, making any perceived elevation of his status politically sensitive.
What did the BJP say about the MLC results?
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak dismissed the SP's interpretation of the results, saying the party should not live under any illusion and that the BJP would win the 2027 Assembly elections with a massive majority.
