Akhilesh Yadav Welcomes BJP Leaders, Slams BJP Tactics
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav welcomes BJP leaders and slams the ruling party for alleged election manipulation and EVM tampering.
In a high-stakes political maneuver in Lucknow, Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav hosted a massive induction ceremony on Thursday, October 15, 2026, welcoming several prominent leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) into his fold. The event, seen as a strategic move to strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, was marked by fiery rhetoric and serious allegations against the ruling party.
Major Defections from BJP to Samajwadi Party
The most significant addition to the Samajwadi Party ranks came from Gonda, where former BJP leader Bhavani Bhikh Shukla officially joined the SP, accompanied by his five sons: Bhagwan Shiv Shukla, Bhagwan Vishnu Shukla, Bhagwan Shankar Shukla, Bhagwan Shukla, and Bhagwan Krishna Shukla.
The political shift was not limited to Gonda. Leaders from several other key regions also transitioned to the Samajwadi Party, including:
- Khurja
- Bulandshahr
- Sitapur
- Babaganj
- Hapur
The 'Ten Tactics' of Alleged Election Manipulation
While welcoming the new members, Akhilesh Yadav launched a scathing attack on the BJP, accusing the party of employing ten specific tactics to undermine the democratic process. He drew a chilling comparison between these methods and the tactics used by Hitler.
The ten allegations leveled by Yadav include:
- Adding fake votes to the rolls.
- Targeted removal of genuine opposition voters.
- Providing food and drink to voters to influence them immediately before polling.
- Using firearms to intimidate voters on election day.
- Manipulation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
- Falsification of the final vote counts.
- Declaring defeated candidates as winners.
- Issuing fraudulent victory certificates.
- Fostering divisions within opposition parties after elections.
- Breaking apart political entities to facilitate the formation of governments.
Attack on the Election Commission
The Samajwadi Party chief did not hold back in his criticism of the Election Commission of India. Expressing profound skepticism regarding the body's impartiality, Yadav explicitly called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He asserted that the Commission has lost its credibility by allegedly operating under the influence of the BJP.
A Period of Intense Political Shifting
This mass induction follows a turbulent 24 hours in Uttar Pradesh politics. Just one day prior, on October 14, 2026, the political landscape saw a counter-shift when three rebel Samajwadi Party MLAs—Rakesh Pratap Singh (Gauriganj), Abhay Singh (Gosainganj), and Vinod Chaturvedi (Kalpi)—formally joined the BJP in Amethi. That transition was attended by high-ranking officials, including Union Minister Smriti Irani and Uttar Pradesh BJP President Pankaj Chaudhary.