Samajwadi Party Member of Parliament Awadhesh Prasad on Tuesday, 5 October 2026, declared that the Samajwadi Party (SP) is the only political force in India capable of removing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power, and that party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is the sole leader who can lead that charge. The remarks, made in Ayodhya, signal an assertive push by the SP ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly cycle.

Prasad's Challenge to the BJP

Speaking to reporters, Prasad said, 'It has become completely clear that if there is any party in India capable of keeping the Bharatiya Janata Party away from power, there is only one party, and that is the Samajwadi Party. There is only one leader, Akhilesh Yadav. Apart from him, there is no other party or leader in the country who can defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party.'

He went further, asserting that even if opposition partners chose to align with the BJP, the INDI Alliance — led by SP — would still form a government in Uttar Pradesh. The remarks reflect growing confidence within the SP's ranks about the party's electoral arithmetic in the country's most populous state.

On Seat-Sharing Within the INDI Alliance

Addressing questions about internal friction within the opposition bloc, Prasad was dismissive of reports of discord. 'There is neither any difficulty nor any uneasiness of any kind regarding the seat-sharing. If there is any uneasiness, it is with the Bharatiya Janata Party. There is no uneasiness on our side,' he said.

He added that Akhilesh Yadav was 'fully capable' of managing the seat-sharing arrangement and that any future government formation would be based on the number of seats each constituent party wins. 'I feel everyone will agree to that; there is no conflict,' he said. This comes amid recurring speculation over whether key INDI Alliance partners are in step on candidate distribution for upcoming state contests.

SP's Planned March Against Election Commission Chief

Prasad also announced that thousands of SP workers and supporters would be marching across Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. A larger demonstration is planned for Wednesday in New Delhi, with SP workers marching from Parliament's Makar Dwar to the Election Commission of India headquarters, under the personal leadership of Akhilesh Yadav.

'Democracy is in danger,' Prasad said. 'The only way one could measure how strong a nation is, how strong the democracy is, is from how free the Election Commission of that country is, how transparent and honest the Election Commission is. The Election Commission is neither honest nor transparent. It is a very big danger to the democracy,' he added. The SP's targeting of the CEC marks an escalation in its campaign against the electoral body, a strategy the party has employed with increasing frequency in recent months.

Broader Political Context

The SP's assertive posture comes at a time when opposition parties across India are attempting to consolidate under the INDI Alliance banner ahead of the next electoral cycle. Uttar Pradesh, which sends the largest bloc of members to the Lok Sabha, remains the most contested battlefield. Historically, the SP has drawn its core support from OBC and Muslim communities in the state, and Akhilesh Yadav has sought to broaden that base since the party's 2017 and 2022 defeats at the hands of the BJP. The planned marches indicate the SP is now moving to street-level mobilisation to keep pressure on both the ruling party and the election administration.