Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party’s bid to return to power in Uttar Pradesh after a decade outside government is facing a fresh challenge from within, as factional tensions between its own MPs and MLAs threaten to disturb Akhilesh Yadav’s election preparations.
Akhilesh has been building the party’s strategy around the PDA formula of backward classes, Dalits and minorities ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. However, internal rivalries in several districts have forced the SP leadership to step in, with the removal of Kamal Akhtar from the post of chief whip in the Assembly becoming the latest example of the growing unrest.
The most visible dispute is in Moradabad, where SP MP Ruchi Veera and Kanth MLA Kamal Akhtar have been locked in a political tussle since 2024. Veera is considered close to senior SP leader Azam Khan, while Akhtar has had a strained political equation with Khan. The rivalry deepened after Akhtar organised a PDA Chaupal on June 25 in Moradabad without inviting Veera. Her photograph was also missing from the event banner, turning the matter into a political controversy.
The issue reached Akhilesh Yadav, who called both leaders to Lucknow. According to the given information, the two leaders argued in his presence and accused each other of encouraging factionalism. Akhtar later resigned from his post as SP’s chief whip in the Assembly, but the political friction between the two continues.
A similar power struggle is visible in Machhlishahr, where SP MP Priya Saroj and local MLA Dr Ragini Sonkar are seen as competing for influence. Priya Saroj, daughter of senior SP leader Toofani Saroj, won the Lok Sabha seat in 2024. Ragini Sonkar, who became MLA in 2022, was also interested in contesting the parliamentary election, but the party chose Priya instead. Since then, both leaders have avoided sharing platforms and rarely invite each other to their programmes.
The rivalry is also being linked to the 2027 Assembly election. It is believed that Toofani Saroj wants his son Dhananjay Saroj to contest from the Machhlishahr Sadar seat, a move that could affect Ragini Sonkar’s political space.
In Bundelkhand too, tensions have surfaced. SP MP Krishna Devi Patel and Baberu MLA Vishambhar Singh Yadav recently had a heated exchange at a public event, with a video of the argument going viral on social media. Earlier, Akhilesh had dissolved the Banda district unit on May 12 amid factional concerns.
For the SP, which performed strongly in parts of Uttar Pradesh in the last Lok Sabha election, managing internal ambitions may be as crucial as challenging its political rivals. The leadership’s ability to contain these disputes could shape its 2027 Assembly campaign.