Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party chief Om Prakash Rajbhar on October 23 challenged Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav to name a Muslim as the party’s chief ministerial candidate for the 2027 Assembly elections.
Speaking in Ambedkar Nagar, Rajbhar said Akhilesh should make the announcement if he genuinely wanted to improve the welfare of Muslims. He also criticised the SP chief for recently visiting senior party leader Azam Khan in jail.
“Akhilesh Yadav remembered Azam Khan only when elections arrived. For all these years, he never thought of him,” Rajbhar said.
He added that Muslims were no longer willing to limit themselves to campaigning for political parties and were demanding representation, education, healthcare, employment and equal rights.
“If Akhilesh Yadav genuinely has sympathy for Muslims, he should announce right now that if an SP-led government is formed in 2027, a Muslim will be made the Chief Minister,” Rajbhar said.
Rajbhar Questions SP’s Outreach to Azam Khan
Rajbhar backed Bharatiya Janata Party national general secretary Vinod Tawde’s recent criticism of the Samajwadi Party’s outreach to Azam Khan. He argued that Khan’s legal disqualification raised questions about the party’s political messaging.
“A person who has been barred by the court for six years cannot even contest an election. How will they make him Home Minister?” Rajbhar said, adding that the SP was misleading people.
Rajbhar also rejected Akhilesh Yadav’s allegations that school managements were facing pressure during the ongoing Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections. He described the allegations as excuses for an expected defeat.
“Nobody is stopping him from lodging complaints or taking action,” Rajbhar said. He maintained that the government’s candidates would win the elections.
He also said the Legislative Council polls could not be treated as a rehearsal for the 2027 Assembly elections because the electorate comprised teachers and graduates rather than the general public.
Rajbhar Backs Amit Shah, Defends Varanasi Air Show
Commenting on Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s assertion that the Congress would remain out of power for the next three decades, Rajbhar said the party’s declining electoral performance across the country supported the claim.
He also defended the air show in Varanasi after Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai accused the BJP of politicising the event.
“Congress ruled for 60 years. Who stopped them from doing this?” Rajbhar said, arguing that military exercises and air shows helped keep weapons and fighter jets ready for potential external threats.
Rajbhar further accused the Samajwadi Party of taking contradictory positions on law and order and the Brahmin community. He alleged that the party spoke about protecting Brahmin interests while allowing its spokespersons to make remarks against the community and Hindu deities.
Voting Underway for 11 UP Legislative Council Seats
Meanwhile, polling began on October 23 for 11 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council seats, comprising five Graduates’ constituencies and six Teachers’ constituencies.
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak voted in Lucknow with his family and urged eligible voters to participate. He expressed confidence that BJP candidates would win all 11 seats.
Pathak said polling was proceeding peacefully and described the election as important for the state’s development.
He also dismissed the Samajwadi Party’s allegations of irregularities, calling them an attempt to save face ahead of defeat. The SP’s allegations and the BJP leaders’ responses were part of the political exchanges surrounding the ongoing polls.
