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Why Akhilesh Yadav stepped back from the Rajya Sabha battle in UP
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News18•06-10-2026, 12:50
Why Akhilesh Yadav stepped back from the Rajya Sabha battle in UP
- •The Samajwadi Party completely withdrew its plans to field a third candidate for the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections on the final day of nominations.
- •SP chief Akhilesh Yadav shifted the narrative by posting on social media that his party's sights are now set on all 403 assembly seats instead of just three.
- •Political analysts attribute this sudden retreat to a severe lack of numerical strength and the fear of cross-voting among party MLAs.
- •With the opposition stepping back, the path is now cleared for the unopposed election of 8 BJP candidates and 2 SP candidates.
Key Questions Answered
Akhilesh Yadav withdrew the third candidate because the party fell short in the numbers game, lacking the required additional votes to secure a win against the strong NDA camp, and to avoid the risk of cross-voting or electoral humiliation.
Following the Samajwadi Party's withdrawal from the contest for the third seat, the unopposed election of 8 candidates from the Bharatiya Janata Party and 2 candidates from the Samajwadi Party is completely assured.
The Samajwadi Party had enough MLAs to easily send its two declared candidates, Dr. Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani, to Parliament.
