Akhilesh missing from SP poster, Shivpal credited for MLC poll success

Lucknow: A Samajwadi Party poster in Lucknow triggered a row on Friday after it credited senior party leader Shivpal Yadav for SP's victory in five of the 11 seats in the recent Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council polls, even as party chief Akhilesh Yadav's picture remained missing from the hoarding.

The poster congratulating the Samajwadi Party on its victory in the MLC elections was reportedly put up by some party worker.

It carried the slogan “Chacha Hain Toh SP Hai”, in reference to Shivpal Yadav, who is the uncle of Akhilesh Yadav.

The poster further read: "Many congratulations for a record win in the MLC polls."

However, what raised eyebrows was that the poster had no mention of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav

Earlier, after securing five seats in the UP MLC elections, the Samajwadi Party described its performance as an indication of the public mood ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, asserting that the results reflect what could unfold in the next state polls.

The Akhilesh Yadav-led SP received a significant boost ahead of the crucial Assembly elections after winning five of the 11 Legislative Council seats contested in the latest round of polls. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured the remaining six seats. While the BJP managed to retain its pre-election tally, the SP improved its position by adding two seats to its previous strength.

One of the most notable outcomes came from Varanasi, where the Samajwadi Party won both the Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies.

The result has drawn particular attention because Varanasi is the Lok Sabha constituency represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking to IANS, SP spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chand said the results demonstrated that the BJP faced difficulties when elections were conducted through ballot papers. He also alleged that the ruling party had attempted to influence the process at certain places.

"In Uttar Pradesh, when elections were held through ballot papers, the BJP lost. The BJP also slowed down the voting process in ballot paper elections and, in some places, its workers misused the administration to influence certain seats through their arbitrary actions. They tried to stop the Varanasi results; however, they were not able to stop the public from expressing their stand," Chand said.

However, speaking to reporters on Friday, UP Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said: "The Samajwadi Party should not live under any illusion. The people of Uttar Pradesh are with the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the BJP will win the 2027 elections with a massive majority."

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