Three Samajwadi Party MLAs Defect to BJP in Amethi

Three rebel MLAs from the Samajwadi Party (SP)—Rakesh Pratap Singh, Abhay Singh, and Vinod Chaturvedi—formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday in Amethi. The inductions were led by BJP National General Secretary Smriti Irani and Uttar Pradesh BJP President Pankaj Chaudhary as parties prepare for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

The MLAs had been expelled from the SP in June 2025 for supporting anti-party ideology and communal negativity. Upon joining, Vinod Chaturvedi praised the development of Bundelkhand under Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath, while alleging that the SP high command had previously forbidden party leaders from visiting the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Abhay Singh criticized the SP for its perceived silence regarding the 2023 desecration of the Ramcharitmanas.

Rakesh Pratap Singh claimed that 98 percent of booth-level workers in his Gauriganj constituency would also defect to the BJP. Pankaj Chaudhary welcomed the leaders, suggesting that many within the SP feel suffocated by caste politics and appeasement.

During the event, Smriti Irani expressed confidence in a BJP victory in the upcoming state elections. She also criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of being unable to contest elections independently and alleging that he has targeted constitutional institutions including the Election Commission and the Supreme Court.