The ruling BJP could face a setback in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections after reports claim that Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) leader Om Prakash Rajbhar hinted that his MLAs may cross-vote. Of the 10 seats vacant, the BJP is expected to win seven and the Samajwadi Party (SP) two. Rumours are that the SP is eyeing a third seat and has set its hopes on SBSP MLAs.
SBSP president Om Prakash Rajbhar, who is also a minister in the Yogi government, recently met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to inform him that two MLAs from his party are with Akhilesh Yadav and he has no control over them. Rajbhar had earlier also claimed that SP was attempting to bribe his MLAs. Previously, three MLAs were with the SP, but now talks have been held with one MLA.
SBSP has six MLAs and the party was with Akhilesh Yadav’s SP in 2022. Rajbhar then joined hands with the BJP to become a minister.
Speculation is that Abbas Ansari, an SBSP MLA from the Mau Sadar constituency, has already met Akhilesh Yadav. Ansari is the son of mafia leader Mukhtar Ansari.
Besides Ansari, two SBSP MLAs, Jagdish Narayan and Hansu Ram, could cross-vote in the Rajya Sabha elections. Rajbhar stated that Hansu Ram is now with him and that he has spoken with him. It is unclear whom the remaining MLAs - Mahadev MLA Dudhram and Jakhania MLA Bedi Ram - would vote for.
The SP is also eyeing BJP MLAs who fear losing their tickets. Some, according to unconfirmed reports, are in contact with the SP. They have been told that if they support the party in the Rajya Sabha elections, the SP could offer them tickets in the upcoming assembly elections. The Samajwadi Party has made the same offer to its rebel MLAs.
Meanwhile, the BJP is wary of cross-voting from its fold. Besides its MLAs, it pins its hopes on former SP leader Puja Pal, independent MLAs Manoj Pandey, Rakesh Pratap Singh, and Abhay Singh, who were expelled from the Samajwadi Party in June 2025 for cross-voting in the 2024 Rajya Sabha elections, and two MLAs from the Raja Bhaiya-led Jansatta Dal (Democratic). This brings its tally to 294, two short of the 296 (37 for each) first-preference votes needed to ensure victory for all eight candidates.
A senior BJP leader said the party is keeping a close watch on its MLAs, anticipating cross-voting. "If the BJP loses to the SP's third candidate due to cross-voting, it will send the wrong message to the public ahead of the Assembly elections," the leader said.
