Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Awadhesh Prasad on Wednesday, 30 September launched a pointed counterattack on Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya over his 'Sampnath' remarks, arguing that the serpent-themed rhetoric exposed deep nervousness within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the state hurtles toward the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

What Keshav Maurya Said

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had labelled the SP as 'Sampnath' — a reference to a cobra — as part of a wider rhetorical broadside against opposition parties ahead of the 2027 polls. He extended the snake metaphor to other rivals as well, calling the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) 'Nagnath' (viper) and the Congress 'Kaliya Nag', evoking the venomous black serpent from Hindu mythology.

SP's Sharp Comeback

Awadhesh Prasad was unsparing in his response. 'What is Keshav Maurya's status? He couldn't even win the Assembly elections in his own constituency. He became Deputy Chief Minister by the grace of politicians. He has no political base of his own. He is nervous about the upcoming elections, and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is more nervous than him,' he said.

The SP MP argued that voters were not confused about their political choice — they were, he claimed, simply dissatisfied with the performance of the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath government. 'People are not confused, but rather, they are upset with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's government. They have resolved to remove the BJP and Chief Minister Adityanath. They have also resolved to form a PDA government under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav in the state. There is no confusion about this,' he said.

On the Election Commission and Opposition Unity

Reacting to Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks about the Election Commission of India (ECI), Awadhesh Prasad noted that the SP had raised similar concerns well before. 'Kharge ji is saying this today. Our leader, Akhilesh ji, had said a long ago that the Election Commission was dead and had even sent a shroud for it. These are old statements. We have been saying this consistently, and our leaders have also been saying the same,' he said.

Addressing the INDIA Bloc meeting, Prasad contended that the alliance had come together with a clear purpose at a moment when, in his view, the country's situation was 'very poor'. He alleged that India's economic and foreign policies had come under undue external influence, resulting in higher inflation and hardship for farmers, workers, and students.

Broader Stakes for 2027

The exchange marks an early escalation in the rhetorical battle for Uttar Pradesh, India's most electorally consequential state with 403 Assembly seats. The BJP swept the state in 2022, but the SP recorded significant gains in the subsequent 2024 Lok Sabha elections, energising the opposition's hopes for the next Assembly contest. Awadhesh Prasad, notably, defeated a sitting BJP MP in the Faizabad constituency in 2024, a result that sent political shockwaves nationally. His willingness to target Maurya personally signals that the SP sees the Deputy CM's constituency loss — Maurya lost his own Sirathu seat in 2022 — as a lasting political liability for the BJP.

With the 2027 UP Assembly elections still roughly eighteen months away, the verbal jousting is expected to intensify as both sides look to consolidate caste and community coalitions.