Shivpal Yadav needs no Akhilesh nod for SP office, says Om Prakash Rajbhar
Synopsis
SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar used a pointed X post to question whether SP co-founder Shivpal Yadav — Akhilesh Yadav's uncle — needs his nephew's go-ahead to even step inside his own party office. With UP 2027 on the horizon, the dig signals growing external pressure on the SP's internal family faultlines.
Key Takeaways
Om Prakash Rajbhar publicly questioned on 29 September 2026 whether Shivpal Yadav required Akhilesh Yadav's permission to enter the SP office.
Rajbhar made the remarks via a post on X , calling the reported situation ‘pitiful’.
Dharmendra Yadav was also cited as allegedly facing a similar access issue at the SP office.
Rajbhar acknowledged political differences with Shivpal but credited him with building the Samajwadi Party alongside Mulayam Singh Yadav .
The episode comes ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections , with SP and SBSP both competing for backward-caste voters.
Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief and Uttar Pradesh minister Om Prakash Rajbhar on Tuesday, 29 September took a pointed dig at Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, questioning whether party veteran Shivpal Yadav — Akhilesh's uncle — required his nephew's permission to enter the SP's own offices in Lucknow. Rajbhar's remarks came after reports emerged that Shivpal Yadav and Dharmendra Yadav had visited the SP office, apparently requiring the party chief's clearance to do so.
What Rajbhar Said
In a post on X, Rajbhar directly challenged the reported state of affairs within the Samajwadi Party. “Is it the case today that ‘Chachchu’ Shivpal Yadav, who, alongside Mulayam Singh Yadav-ji, toured villages to nurture the Samajwadi Party and dedicated his life to building the organisation, now has to wait for his nephew’s green signal just to visit the party office?” Rajbhar wrote.
He also pointed to Dharmendra Yadav, noting that he too was allegedly facing a similar situation. “If this is the state of family members, imagine the situation of other leaders,” Rajbhar said, describing the reported treatment of Shivpal as ‘pitiful’.
Shivpal's Legacy in SP
Rajbhar acknowledged political differences with Shivpal Yadav but nonetheless stressed that the SP leader had made foundational contributions to the party. He said Shivpal had “put his sweat and toil” into the organisation, building it alongside former SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav through grassroots outreach across Uttar Pradesh's villages. The SBSP chief framed the reported episode as a matter of basic dignity and self-respect.
Rajbhar closed his post with religious and cultural slogans — ‘Jai Bharat, Jai Shri Ram, Jai Shri Krishna’ and ‘Jai Maharaja Suheldev’ — and stated that the Almighty was ‘watching everything’ and would deliver justice on matters of honour.
The Broader Political Context
The remarks arrive amid escalating political friction in Uttar Pradesh, with the 2027 UP Assembly elections drawing closer. Rajbhar and Shivpal Yadav have traded barbs previously, with Rajbhar criticising the SP's internal functioning and Shivpal hitting back at the SBSP chief in kind. Notably, this is not the first time the Yadav family's internal dynamics have spilled into the public domain — the SP has historically been shaped, and periodically disrupted, by tensions between Mulayam's political heirs.
Critics argue that the reported episode, if accurate, signals deepening centralisation of authority under Akhilesh Yadav's leadership, at a moment when the party needs to consolidate its alliance base ahead of 2027. How the SP navigates its internal family equations in the coming months may well influence its credibility with backward-caste voters that both the SP and SBSP are courting.
Point of View
And publicly highlighting the SP's internal contradictions serves his electoral interests ahead of 2027. Still, the substance of his charge is hard to dismiss: sidelining a founder-generation leader like Shivpal risks alienating precisely the backward-caste constituency the SP claims to represent. Akhilesh's consolidation of authority has been a pattern since the 2017 split with his father, but the optics of a family elder requiring a 'green signal' to enter the party he helped build could become a liability if the SP's opponents keep amplifying it.
NationPress
29 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Om Prakash Rajbhar say about Shivpal Yadav and the SP office?
Rajbhar questioned whether Shivpal Yadav, who co-built the Samajwadi Party with Mulayam Singh Yadav, now needed his nephew Akhilesh Yadav's 'green signal' to enter the SP office. He made the remarks in a post on X on 29 September 2026, calling the reported situation 'pitiful'.
Why is this significant ahead of the 2027 UP elections?
The episode highlights internal tensions within the Samajwadi Party at a critical time, as the party prepares for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Critics argue it signals growing centralisation under Akhilesh Yadav and could affect the SP's credibility with backward-caste voters.
Who is Om Prakash Rajbhar?
Om Prakash Rajbhar is the chief of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) and a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government. He has previously criticised the SP's internal functioning and has had a history of political exchanges with senior SP leaders including Shivpal Yadav.
What is Shivpal Yadav's history with the Samajwadi Party?
Shivpal Yadav is a founding-generation leader of the Samajwadi Party who worked alongside former SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to build the organisation through grassroots outreach across Uttar Pradesh. He is Akhilesh Yadav's uncle and has had a turbulent political relationship with the current SP chief.
Was Dharmendra Yadav also mentioned in Rajbhar's post?
Yes, Rajbhar also referred to Dharmendra Yadav, saying he was allegedly facing a similar situation — reportedly needing Akhilesh Yadav's permission to enter the SP office. Rajbhar used this to suggest the issue extended beyond just Shivpal to other party members.
