Ahead of Assembly Polls, Several Leaders Join Samajwadi Party in Lucknow
Lucknow, October 26: Ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party on Monday welcomed a list of leaders from different parties into its fold at the party office in Lucknow. The induction drew attention as it included former legislators and a former IAS officer.
Among those who joined the SP were former BJP MLAs Sinod Shakya and Kushagra Sagar, BJP leader Chandra Kumar Mishra alias Bapu, former IAS officer Ram Bahadur Pasi and Dara Singh Prajapati, who came from the BSP. Sabina Parveen, who has returned to India from America, also took party membership.
At the event, SP national president Akhilesh Yadav targeted Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his remarks on sadhus, saints and power. Yadav said that he and his party had come into politics to form the government and serve the public. “I am not a sadhu-saint who will go to forests or monasteries,” he said. “We need power and the chief minister's chair so that we can develop the state.”
Yadav linked the new entries to the expansion of the party organisation and the strengthening of PDA politics, which he described as focused on backward classes, Dalits and minorities. He said the joinings had sent a message across the state, from the east to the west, and promised political respect to all new leaders.
He praised Dara Singh Prajapati, saying the party's fortunes would be decided by those who stand with him, and spoke highly of Ram Bahadur Pasi's record during his service. Pasi said he had retired in 2015 when Yadav was chief minister and now expected to work with him, predicting an SP government in 2027.
Dara Singh Prajapati said he had not joined for a ticket or post and would work to make Akhilesh Yadav chief minister. Sabina Parveen said she wanted to be part of Yadav's movement and work in education, health and research, and she expressed a desire to build ground-level work and seek a candidacy from Kundarki.
Akhilesh Yadav listed several commitments for the state, including ending outsourcing if the SP forms government, special schemes for contract sanitation workers, housing for homeless Valmiki community members, and ownership rights for poor families. He also announced a holiday on Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti.
He accused the BJP and the Election Commission of irregularities in the voter list, claiming multiple entries of the same name and alleging that more than 2,000 entries existed under 'Sunita wife Rajesh'. He sought Aadhaar linkage for voter ID cards and biometric systems at booth level.
Yadav also raised concerns over a murder in Lucknow and suspicious deaths in Gorakhpur jail, demanding accountability from the state government. He further referred to China's alleged intrusion in Arunachal Pradesh, accusing the Centre of raising border issues according to political needs.
Senior leader Shivpal Singh Yadav said the flow of leaders from other parties would continue, while former MP Saleem Sherwani claimed the SP would win all seats in Badaun.