Amid unrest in the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and buzz over an imminent split in the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, speculation about a possible split in the Samajwadi Party (SP), led by former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, emerged on Tuesday after state minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party chief O P Rajbhar claimed that the opposition party could face a major exodus.
In a mysterious post on X, Rajbhar claimed that senior SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav had moved closer to the Center amid mounting pressure over alleged corruption issues and claimed that several party leaders were preparing to switch sides. Track the latest updates on the unrest in opposition parties here
“There will be a major split in the Samajwadi Party. Ram Gopal Yadav has submitted a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah ji. Everyone in Uttar Pradesh knows who is the mastermind behind the mining scam and the Gomti river front scam. With the noose tightening, the SP is getting worried,” the post said in Hindi.
‘The entire SP is ready to join the BJP’
“Forget Maharashtra and Bengal – the entire SP is ready to join the BJP,” Rajbhar added in the post.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) or the Bharatiya Janata Party is yet to respond to the allegations.
These statements come at a time when two main opposition parties are grappling with internal rebellions.
In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress has faced one of its biggest crises since losing the last assembly elections to the BJP. The party is facing a dual challenge – a revolt by MLAs in the state assembly and a revolt by MPs in Parliament.
A faction of 58 TMC MLAs supported Ritabrata Banerjee’s claim to the post of Leader of the Opposition, challenging the leadership pick. The development sparked a legal battle, with the party approaching the Calcutta High Court.
The crisis worsened after MP Kakoli Ghosh claimed the support of 19 other legislators and declared his support for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. The group of 20 MPs has since sought a merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a move that would help them evade the anti-defection law if approved by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
In Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) is also facing speculation of a split as ‘Operation Tiger’ gains momentum. Operation Tiger is the name given to the alleged attempts by the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena and the BJP to poach the Sena’s (UBT) elected representatives.
It gained momentum on Tuesday evening as Shiv Sena leaders led by Eknath Shinde said six MPs from the rival Sena (UBT) are likely to form a separate group and are expected to submit a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. They will then merge with the Sena’s Lok Sabha unit, an earlier HT report quoted Sena insiders.
Who are the six suspected Sena UBT MPs?
The above-mentioned insiders also said that three Sena MPs (UBT) — Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Deshmukh and Bhausaheb Wakshor — arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday and did not answer phone calls from party leaders.
The six MPs who are likely to form a separatist group are: Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Bhausaheb Wakshuri (Shirdi), Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal), Nagesh Patil Ashtekar (Hingoli), Umraji Nimbakar (Dharashiv), Sanjay Patel (Mumbai NE). However, this cannot be independently verified.
The positions of Nepalkar and Patel were not confirmed till Tuesday evening but they held talks with Sena leaders, sources said.
Thackeray has only three of his nine MPs supporting him: Arvind Sawant (Mumbai South), Anil Desai (Mumbai South Central), and Rajabhau Waje (Nashik).
If six UBT MPs move to the Sena, they will form two-thirds of the party’s Lok Sabha unit – allowing them to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.
