New Delhi: There was earlier speculation that the Samajwadi Party (SP) would announce the name of a third candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections, but this did not happen at the last moment. The SP will not field a third candidate. This effectively clears the path for the victory of the BJP’s eighth candidate as well. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav clarified the situation, stating that they would not field a third candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections.
Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav wrote on X that their focus is now not on ‘three’, but on ‘four hundred and three’. This statement is also being viewed in the context of the Rajya Sabha elections, reinforcing the belief that the SP will not field another candidate for the third Rajya Sabha seat.
SP to focus on Assembly elections.
The Samajwadi Party is also engaged in grassroots preparations for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Having announced that it will not field a third candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections, the party is concentrating entirely on the Assembly polls. Elections are due for 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, and winning a single seat requires the votes of 37 MLAs. Currently, the effective strength of the Assembly is 396.
The SP has 98 MLAs (though some are currently in jail). If the party secures the support of two Congress MLAs, this number would rise to 99. This means the SP would need to muster 111 MLAs for the third seat—a task that appears extremely difficult ahead of the Assembly elections. While the SP can easily secure two Rajya Sabha seats with its 74 MLAs, reaching the required figure for a third seat was not feasible.
After winning two seats, the SP would be left with 25 surplus votes. In such a scenario, the question arises: where and how would the party arrange the additional 12 votes needed? Even MLAs belonging to other parties would be reluctant to take the risk of cross-voting before the elections, as they are currently vying for party tickets.
Akhilesh’s post shifts the political equation.
The political arithmetic for the Rajya Sabha elections underwent a complete transformation following a post by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. He had previously stated that a third candidate would be fielded only if the requisite numbers were secured. Now, following his post referencing the figure “403” (the total number of Assembly seats) rather than “three, indications suggest that the SP has decided to withdraw from the race for the third Rajya Sabha seat.
In this scenario, the SP’s strategy for the Rajya Sabha elections appears limited to two seats for the time being, while Akhilesh Yadav has now set his sights on the 403 Assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, party leader Anurag Bhadauria has made a significant claim regarding the UP Rajya Sabha elections, stating that this time, it won’t just be a game a major political upset (‘khela’) is in the offing.
