25-26 Samajwadi Party MPs ready to defect, claims Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Pratap Maurya claimed that 25 to 26 MPs of the Samajwadi Party were ready to defect but that the Bharatiya Janata Party was “not breaking” them away, PTI reported on Wednesday.

Maurya claimed that the Samajwadi Party MPs would “automatically break away” ahead of the Assembly elections in 2027. The state polls are expected to be held early next year.

“Samajwadi Party is not being run by Akhilesh Yadav,” Maurya said.

It was unclear when the claim was made. The Samajwadi Party has 37 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 10 in the Rajya Sabha.

On Wednesday, state minister and BJP ally Om Prakash Rajbhar claimed that a “major split is going to happen” in the Samajwadi Party.

VIDEO | Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh: "In the Samajwadi Party itself, around 26 MLAs are ready to defect. We are not trying to split the party. As the 2027 elections approach, they will leave on their own. Samajwadi Party is not being run by Akhilesh Yadav," says UP Deputy CM Keshav… pic.twitter.com/dTOdhcGZ2u— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 17, 2026

He claimed that Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav had submitted a letter to BJP leader Amit Shah. Ram Gopal Yadav is the cousin of Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.

“Everyone in Uttar Pradesh knows...

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