Putting a brave front over the cross-voting by his party MLAs, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said that the decision to field a third candidate was a strategic move aimed at testing the true allegiance of his party members. Seven Samajwadi Party (SP) MLAs cross-voted for the BJP in the polling for Rajya Sabha polls held here on Tuesday.
The SP MLAs who cross-voted include Rakesh Pandey, Rakesh Pratap Singh, Abhay Singh, Vinod Chaturvedi, Manoj Pandey, Ashutosh Maurya, and Pooja Pal. One legislator from Amethi Maharaji Prajapati did not turn up for casting her vote. The vote of another SP MLA Shazil Islam was invalid.
Describing the third candidate’s nomination as a “loyalty test,” Akhilesh Yadav wrote on X in Hindi, “Our decision to contest the third seat in the Rajya Sabha was essentially a litmus test to sift allies from dissenters, and to ascertain who stood with the PDA in spirit and who harbored sentiments contrary to the interests of backward classes, Dalits, and minorities.”
Akhilesh slammed the rebel MLAs who allegedly cross-voted in favour of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha elections, saying not “everybody has the guts to stand against the government.”
“Not everybody has the guts to stand against the government...pressure is put on everybody, is there anyone who doesn’t know that BJP would go to any extent to win,” Yadav said. He added action would be taken against such leaders.
“The BJP was dishonest during the Chandigarh elections also... When it comes to UP, BJP did everything to get votes and those who left, might not have had the guts to stand against the government. Action will be taken because our leaders want such people to be kept away from the party,” he said.
“Those looking to take advantage of the situation will leave,” he added.
Before casting his vote, Akhilesh alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party would resort to any means to win elections, adding that action would be taken against such MLAs.
The concept of PDA (Pichhde, Dalits, and Alpsankhyak) was introduced by Akhilesh in June 2023 as a counter to the NDA, with the promise that “PDA hi NDA ko harayega” (It’s the PDA that will defeat the BJP-led NDA).
While the SP’s core vote bank has traditionally comprised Yadavs and Muslims, recent electoral setbacks have prompted Akhilesh to broaden the party’s appeal to include Dalits and OBCs other than Yadavs and Muslims.
As the voting process for the 10 Rajya Sabha seats began in the state, Akhilesh expressed satisfaction, stating, “Now everything is crystal clear; securing the third seat signifies our triumph.”
Earlier in the day, Manoj Pandey, the SP MLA from Unchahar, resigned from his position as the party’s chief whip in the state assembly, delivering a setback to Akhilesh.
Pandey’s resignation was promptly accepted, and his nameplate was removed from outside the party office in the state assembly building.
This turn of events followed the absence of eight party MLAs, including Manoj Pandey, from a dinner meeting convened by Akhilesh Yadav on Monday evening. The purpose of the meeting was to brief MLAs about the Rajya Sabha election process.
The Rajya Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh have drawn significant attention, with eight BJP candidates and three from the SP vying for the 10 available seats. Prominent political figures, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya & Brajesh Pathak, and SP president Akhilesh Yadav, cast their votes in the state assembly.
SP MLA Rakesh Pratap Singh cross-voted for the BJP and chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’. All the seven rebel SP MLAs were escorted by Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak to Tilak Hall  in the state secretariat to cast their votes.
This sudden development threatens the SP’s prospects in this crucial election and exacerbates the party’s anxieties months ahead of the general election. With the SP slated to contest 63 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh as part of the INDIA bloc, any discord within the party before the polls would be a severe blow.
The rebellion by the  SP MLA can damage the electoral prospects of the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance in over a dozen Lok Sabha seats, including Rae Bareli, Amethi, Ambedkarnagar, Ayodhya, Ambedkarnagar, Jalaun,  and Budaun. As per the seat-sharing agreement, the Congress will contest 17 while the SP will contest 67 Lok Sabha seats in UP.