SP split rumours 'baseless rhetoric', says Shivpal Yadav; mocks UP ministers
Synopsis
UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya's claim that 25-26 SP MPs are ready to defect has been met with a sharp, coordinated rebuke from the Samajwadi Party — with Shivpal Yadav calling it 'mere rhetoric' and reminding Maurya of his own losing electoral record. With UP elections potentially months away, the split narrative looks less like intelligence and more like a pressure campaign.
Key Takeaways
Shivpal Singh Yadav dismissed SP split speculation as 'baseless rhetoric' on 18 June in Lucknow .
UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya had claimed 25–26 SP MPs were ready to defect.
Cabinet minister OP Rajbhar went further, calling a full SP crossover 'inevitable.' SP chief Akhilesh Yadav called the claims part of the BJP's 'wicked designs.' SP MPs Awadhesh Prasad and Rajiv Rai both publicly mocked Maurya's standing and credibility.
The claims come with UP elections reportedly five to six months away, sharpening the political stakes.
Samajwadi Party (SP) general secretary Shivpal Singh Yadav on Thursday, 18 June flatly rejected mounting speculation about a major split in the party, calling the claims 'nothing credible' and dismissing them as political rhetoric. Yadav also turned the tables on Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and cabinet minister OP Rajbhar, the two ruling-side voices most loudly predicting an SP implosion.
What Shivpal Yadav Said
Addressing reporters in Lucknow, Yadav took direct aim at Maurya's electoral credibility. 'You are talking about Keshav Prasad Maurya, the Deputy Chief Minister. He is unable to get the electoral arithmetic right to win. The Samajwadi Party has defeated him in several elections. Therefore, when he makes such statements, it only goes to show that these people lie,' he said.
The remarks were a pointed effort to undercut Maurya's authority on the subject — framing the Deputy CM's predictions as the grievances of a repeated electoral loser rather than credible political intelligence.
The Claims That Triggered the Row
The controversy surfaced after UP cabinet minister OP Rajbhar claimed that several SP MPs were considering switching allegiances. Maurya then escalated the narrative, asserting at a public event that '25–26 Samajwadi Party MPs are ready to break away, but we are not breaking them away at all. We know that they will themselves break away from the party.'
Rajbhar went further, claiming a split was not just likely but inevitable — suggesting the situation was serious enough for the entire party to cross over. Neither minister offered verifiable names or evidence to support the figures cited.
SP's Collective Pushback
The SP closed ranks swiftly. Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, questioned at a press conference the previous day, said SP members were 'brave' enough to thwart what he characterised as the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 'wicked designs.'
SP MP Awadhesh Prasad questioned Maurya's standing within his own ranks: 'Keshav Prasad Maurya commands no respect within the party and government. People have lost faith in him. As elections are likely to be held in the next five or six months, some people are scared and anxious about what they will do in the coming days.'
SP MP Rajiv Rai was more blunt, saying both Rajbhar and Maurya were 'spouting nonsense out of sheer frustration and desperation,' adding that such figures deserved only sympathy.
Broader Political Context
The timing of these claims is significant. The political spotlight on the SP comes amid genuine turbulence in Opposition ranks nationally — including a recent split in the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and persistent buzz about a divide in Uddhav Thackeray's faction of the Shiv Sena. Critics argue that the BJP-aligned ministers are seeking to exploit that national narrative and project it onto the SP ahead of state-level electoral cycles.
Notably, with assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh potentially five to six months away, the timing of such claims aligns closely with pre-poll pressure tactics. Whether the SP's unified public rebuttal reflects genuine internal stability or a managed front will become clearer as the electoral calendar tightens.
Point of View
Force the opposition into denial mode, and let the speculation do the damage. What is notable here is that neither Maurya nor Rajbhar named a single MP willing to cross over, which strips the claim of credibility. The SP's coordinated rebuttal, from Shivpal to Akhilesh to backbench MPs, suggests the party anticipated this and prepared a unified line. The real test will not be press statements but whether any MP actually moves. Until then, the '25-26 defectors' figure deserves the same scrutiny as any unverified political assertion — especially from ministers whose own electoral records, as Shivpal pointedly noted, leave room for doubt.
NationPress
5 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Shivpal Yadav say about the SP split rumours?
Shivpal Yadav dismissed the split speculation as 'nothing credible' and called it mere political rhetoric on 18 June in Lucknow. He specifically mocked UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya's electoral record, noting that the SP had defeated him in several elections.
What claim did Keshav Prasad Maurya make about SP MPs?
Maurya claimed at a public event that 25–26 Samajwadi Party MPs were ready to break away from the party, though he did not name them. He said the BJP was not actively engineering the split and that the MPs would leave on their own.
What did OP Rajbhar say about the Samajwadi Party?
UP cabinet minister OP Rajbhar claimed a split in the SP was inevitable and suggested the situation was serious enough for the entire party to cross over to the ruling side. He offered no specific names or evidence.
How did Akhilesh Yadav respond to the defection claims?
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, speaking at a press conference, said SP members were 'brave' enough to counter the BJP's 'wicked designs,' framing the defection narrative as a deliberate attempt to destabilise the opposition.
Why are these claims significant ahead of UP elections?
With Uttar Pradesh elections reportedly five to six months away, pre-poll pressure tactics — including defection narratives — are common. SP leaders argue the claims reflect anxiety within the ruling alliance rather than genuine intelligence about party crossovers.
