In a significant expansion of its support base ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party on Monday inducted several leaders, including former IAS officer Ram Bahadur Pasi, two former BJP MLAs from Badaun and a prominent Prajapati community leader, in the presence of national president Akhilesh Yadav.
The formal induction took place during a press conference at the SP headquarters in Lucknow on Monday. Those who joined included Pasi, a retired IAS officer once regarded as close to BSP chief Mayawati; Kushagra Sagar, former BJP MLA from Bisauli; Sinod Kumar Shakya, former MLA from Dataganj; and Dara Singh Prajapati, a former BSP Lok Sabha candidate from Muzaffarnagar and national president of the Prajapati Mahasabha.
Welcoming Ram Bahadur Pasi, Akhilesh remarked, “Inke naam mein Ram hai, inke judne se saare kaam banenge” (His name has Ram; with him joining, all works will get done).
Kushagra Sagar, who won the Bisauli seat on a BJP ticket in 2017 and lost narrowly in 2022, had resigned from the BJP’s primary membership only days earlier, citing a lack of respect and belonging after 11 years in the party. Sinod Kumar Shakya, who had earlier been elected twice as a BSP MLA from Dataganj and had a brief stint with the SP before joining the BJP, also returned to the Samajwadi fold.
Dara Singh Prajapati’s induction is seen as particularly important for western Uttar Pradesh. Akhilesh Yadav highlighted his influence, saying that whoever has Dara with them will win the political arena and that people from his community would stand with him.
{{/usCountry}}Dara Singh Prajapati’s induction is seen as particularly important for western Uttar Pradesh. Akhilesh Yadav highlighted his influence, saying that whoever has Dara with them will win the political arena and that people from his community would stand with him.
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