LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar has claimed that the Samajwadi Party (SP) could witness a major internal upheaval, with Akhilesh Yadav stepping aside and Shivpal Singh Yadav taking charge of the party.Speaking to reporters in Ballia’s Bairia area on Saturday, Rajbhar said the SP was moving towards a split similar to what happened in Shiv Sena and the Trinamool Congress.“In the coming days, Akhilesh Yadav will have to step aside to save the party, and Shivpal Singh Yadav will lead it,” Rajbhar said.He alleged that some SP leaders were in touch with the BJP and claimed that the rebellion could begin from Ballia, which he described as a “land of rebels”.Rajbhar also claimed, without providing evidence, that SP MP Rajeev Rai had met Union home minister Amit Shah and alleged that Rai would lead a rebellion within the party at Shah’s behest.He further claimed that some SP MPs were looking to move closer to the ruling side as they felt they had limited political prospects within the opposition.The SBSP chief also targeted the equation between Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav, alleging that Akhilesh did not want to see Shivpal “even with a sideways glance”.The remarks come amid a continuing exchange between Rajbhar and SP leaders over his repeated claims of a possible split in the party. Earlier, Rajbhar had asked Akhilesh to begin a campaign to “save his MPs”. Akhilesh had dismissed him as a “rumour-mongering minister”, while Rajeev Rai accused him of making such statements to stay politically relevant.Rajbhar also rejected speculation about trouble within his own party, claiming that five of the SBSP’s six MLAs remained with him. He alleged that only one MLA was openly moving around with SP flags.His remarks followed his son Arun Rajbhar’s statement that three SBSP MLAs were seen with SP flags, sparking questions about divisions within the party.On the Ram temple issue, Rajbhar criticised SP leaders for questioning alleged financial irregularities in the temple trust, saying those who opposed the Ram temple movement had no moral authority to raise the issue.He also challenged Akhilesh and Shivpal to contest against him from the Zahoorabad Assembly constituency in Ghazipur, where he is currently an MLA.The Uttar Pradesh assembly elections for all 403 seats are scheduled for 2027.
