Stories
Smriti Irani Enters 2027 UP Elections, Deals Triple Blow to Akhilesh Yadav
- •Former Union Minister Smriti Irani has officially entered the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections following her appointment as BJP National General Secretary.
- •Three rebel Samajwadi Party MLAs, Rakesh Pratap Singh, Abhay Singh, and Vinod Chaturvedi, formally joined the BJP in Smriti Irani's presence.
- •The three MLAs had previously cross-voted in the 2024 Rajya Sabha elections and were subsequently expelled or distanced from the Samajwadi Party.
- •Smriti Irani previously defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Amethi during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections before focusing on the upcoming state polls.
Key Questions Answered
On October 14, 2026, three rebel Samajwadi Party MLAs—Rakesh Pratap Singh from Gauriganj, Abhay Singh from Gosaiganj, and Vinod Chaturvedi from Kalpi—formally joined the BJP in Amethi. All three had previously cross-voted in the 2024 Rajya Sabha elections.
Rebel MLAs like Rakesh Pratap Singh and Vinod Chaturvedi cited a lack of faith in Sanatan Dharma, appeasement politics, and opposition to how leadership handled events like the Ram Temple inauguration as reasons for leaving. Meanwhile, BJP National General Secretary Smriti Irani targeted Akhilesh Yadav and the SP while spearheading poll preparations for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
After narrowing the margin in 2014, Smriti Irani capitalized on her five years of dedicated grassroots work and Rahul Gandhi's decision to also contest from Wayanad, defeating him in his Amethi stronghold by 55,120 votes during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
