Akhilesh Yadav Targets BJP Over Posters Ahead of UP Polls

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of putting up unauthorised posters in Uttar Pradesh to create divisions within the opposition INDIA bloc ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. The dispute has emerged as the Congress and the SP begin negotiations over seat-sharing in the state.

The posters, which appeared in Lucknow and other districts, featured Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and local leaders alongside the slogan, “200 seat haq hai hamara, UP ko hai Rahul Gandhi par bharosa.” Yadav alleged that the campaign was intended to strain relations between the Congress and the SP, while demanding action against municipal officials who allegedly allowed the displays without the required permissions or fees.

The Congress, meanwhile, has maintained that the INDIA bloc remains united. The controversy comes as the two parties discuss how to divide seats in Uttar Pradesh’s 403-member Assembly, with the Congress seeking a substantial share despite its limited performance in recent state elections.

Akhilesh Yadav Accuses BJP of Putting Up ‘Fake’ Posters

Yadav alleged on Sunday that the BJP was behind posters promoting Rahul Gandhi and a claim for around 200 Assembly seats for the Congress. According to a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI), the SP chief said the BJP was worried about the opposition alliance and was attempting to create differences between its partners.

The slogan on the posters, “200 seat haq hai hamara, UP ko hai Rahul Gandhi par bharosa,” translates roughly to “200 seats are our right; Uttar Pradesh trusts Rahul Gandhi.” The message reflects the Congress’s reported ambition to contest a significant number of constituencies in the upcoming Assembly election.

Yadav questioned the circumstances under which the posters had been displayed and demanded action against municipal officials who allegedly permitted them without official authorisation or payment of prescribed fees. His allegations against the BJP and the officials have not been independently established in the supplied report.

SP Chief Demands Action Against Municipal Officials

In a post on X, Yadav called for the suspension of municipal officials who failed to act against the unauthorised posters. He argued that displaying advertisements without paying the required fees could cause revenue losses for local bodies.

Yadav also suggested that non-payment of the fees could be an attempt to conceal the identities of those responsible for the poster campaign. He said the SP was maintaining a date-wise record of the incidents and the officials allegedly involved.

The SP chief warned that an SP-led government would take action against officials found involved in corruption. He said a government led by the party’s PDA coalition would activate agencies including the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) to examine their conduct.

These remarks were framed as a warning about potential action if the SP came to power. The supplied report does not establish that any municipal official has been formally found guilty of wrongdoing in connection with the posters.

What Does Akhilesh Yadav’s PDA Mean?

PDA is an acronym coined by Yadav for “Pichhde”, referring to backward classes, “Dalits” and “Alpsankhyak”, meaning minorities. The term is used by the SP to describe the social groups it seeks to represent politically.

Yadav’s reference to a PDA-led government connects the poster controversy to the SP’s broader political positioning ahead of the Assembly elections. His comments also signal that the party intends to make allegations of corruption and the treatment of opposition parties part of its campaign.

Congress Says INDIA Bloc Remains United

Rajendra Pal Gautam, the Congress’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge, rejected the suggestion that the dispute would break the opposition alliance. He said the INDIA bloc remained united and that its fight was focused on social justice, democracy and the Constitution.

In a post on X, Gautam said the BJP could attempt to spread confusion or hatch conspiracies but would not be able to damage the opposition alliance.

“The INDIA bloc is united, and it will remain united,” Gautam said.

His statement came as the Congress and the SP began formal discussions over the distribution of Assembly constituencies. The public exchange highlights the challenge facing the parties: maintaining a united front while negotiating the number of seats each partner will contest.

Congress Seeks 175 to 200 Seats in Uttar Pradesh

The Congress has reportedly submitted an initial list of more than 175 constituencies where it believes it could perform well as part of an alliance with the SP. Gautam told PTI that the list had been shared with SP leaders a few days earlier and that detailed discussions were expected to follow.

“I can’t give you the exact numbers, but we have submitted a list for 175 to 200 seats,” Gautam said, indicating that the Congress was open to negotiations within that range.

With 403 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, a demand for 175 to 200 constituencies would represent a substantial share of the total. The final allocation, however, will depend on negotiations between the two parties, and the supplied report does not confirm an agreed seat-sharing formula.

The poster slogan has brought the issue into public view even as formal discussions are under way. Yadav has portrayed the campaign as an attempt to create friction between the alliance partners, while Congress leaders have stressed that the coalition remains intact.

Congress Faces Questions Over Its Electoral Strength

The Congress’s reported demand for a large number of seats comes against the backdrop of its declining electoral performance in Uttar Pradesh over several decades. The party last held power in the state in 1989, and its results in recent Assembly elections have been limited.

In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, the Congress contested independently and won two seats, down from seven in 2017. These results have contributed to scepticism about whether the party can justify seeking such a large share of constituencies in the next election.

However, Congress leaders have pointed to the 2024 Lok Sabha election as evidence that the party can perform better when allied with the SP. The two parties contested together in Uttar Pradesh and won a combined 43 parliamentary seats, according to the figures provided in the report.

How the INDIA Bloc Performed in the 2024 Lok Sabha Election

In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the SP won 37 seats in Uttar Pradesh, while the Congress secured six. The BJP won 33 seats in the state, according to the supplied information.

The results strengthened the opposition alliance’s position in the state compared with the Congress’s performance in recent Assembly elections. For the Congress, the outcome offers a basis for arguing that an alliance can improve its electoral prospects. For the SP, the negotiations involve balancing its own strength with its partner’s ambitions.

Parliamentary election results do not automatically determine how parties will perform in an Assembly election, which involves a different contest across state constituencies. The seat-sharing agreement and the candidates fielded by each party could therefore become important factors in the 2027 election campaign.

Why the Poster Row Matters Ahead of the 2027 UP Elections

The controversy has emerged at a sensitive stage in the Congress-SP relationship, when both parties are trying to negotiate a seat-sharing arrangement while publicly projecting unity. Disputes over the number of seats each party should contest can become a source of tension, particularly when their assessments of electoral strength differ.

The Congress’s reported interest in 175 to 200 seats and the SP’s concerns over the party’s state-level performance illustrate the competing calculations involved. The posters have added another point of contention, although Yadav’s allegation that the BJP orchestrated them has not been independently verified in the supplied report.

For the INDIA bloc, the immediate challenge is to prevent public disagreements from undermining negotiations. Gautam’s statement that the alliance remains united appears intended to reassure supporters that the poster controversy will not derail cooperation between the parties.

What Happens Next?

The Congress and the SP are expected to hold further discussions on seat-sharing, following the submission of the Congress’s initial constituency list. The final number of seats allocated to each party remains undecided in the supplied report.

Yadav has also called for action against municipal officials over the alleged unauthorised displays, but the report does not confirm whether disciplinary action has been initiated or whether authorities have identified those responsible for putting up the posters.

The dispute is likely to remain part of the political conversation as preparations for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election gather pace. For now, the Congress is insisting that the INDIA bloc remains united, while the SP chief has accused the BJP of attempting to create divisions within the opposition alliance.