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.