Minister in Uttar Pradesh government Om Prakash Rajbhar on Wednesday (June 17, 2026) claimed that the Samajwadi Party (SP) is headed for a major split, with a large number of leaders willing to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“There will be a major split in the Samajwadi Party. Ram Gopal Yadav has submitted a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The entire state of Uttar Pradesh knows who the mastermind behind the mining scam and the Gomti River Front scam is. The SP is worried as the noose tightens. Leave aside Maharashtra and Bengal, the entire SP is ready to join BJP,” wrote the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) president, an ally of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, on X.

The Samajwadi Party ridiculed the statement and added that such a comment is aiming at diverting attention from the organised loot committed at the Ram Temple by the BJP-RSS.

“Om Prakash Rajbhar is known for giving such statements to divert attention from key issues. Presently, the organised loot committed at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple by people linked to the BJP-RSS is discussed in public spaces; he is aiming to divert focus. The fact is, it is the Samajwadi Party which stopped the BJP from reaching the figure of 272 in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls by defeating the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. Our party leaders and MPs are united. The national president has categorically mentioned that a decisive victory of the SP led by INDIA in Uttar Pradesh, will subsequently lead to the fall of the Union government,” said Sunil Singh Yadav ‘Sajan’, the SP spokesperson.

Dismissed the claim of an impending split, Akhilesh Yadav said the party remained strong, and it was the BJP which had a history of “engineering” defections through inducements and pressure.

Responding to a query at a presser on possible discontent within the Samajwadi Party (SP), Mr. Yadav, its chief, said the BJP previously succeeded in breaking several parties, including taking away legislators and leaders from the SP.

“If you look at Uttar Pradesh, several SP MLAs, MLCs and even Rajya Sabha members were taken away. There must have been some self-interest, some lure or some fear… People who get scared leave their party,” he said.

Mr. Rajbhar heads the SBSP, a BJP-led NDA ally in Uttar Pradesh.

The claims come at a time when the Trinamool Congress is grappling with an unprecedented split, while the Shiv Sena (UBT), another major player in the Opposition camp, is staring at a crisis, with some of its nine Lok Sabha MPs inclined to switch to the ruling Shiv Sena.

(With inputs from PTI)