A setback for the SP ahead of the UP elections: three SP MLAs join the BJP.

A setback for the SP ahead of the UP elections: three SP MLAs join the BJP.

Political activity has intensified in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the assembly elections. The BJP has dealt a major blow to Akhilesh Yadav; in the presence of the UP BJP president and Smriti Irani, SP MLAs Abhay Singh, Rakesh Pratap Singh, and Vinod Chaturvedi have joined the BJP. Pankaj Chaudhary claims that there are others within the SP who feel stifled by the party’s politics of appeasement and caste, and they, too, are looking for a way out. Meanwhile, despite losing these three, the SP continues to claim that it will emerge victorious in 2027.