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‘No threats, intimidation’: Shivpal warns SP workers ahead of 2027 UP polls
Addressing workers at the party’s block office in Saifai, Etawah, during a Diwali programme, he directed all district presidents to immediately expel any worker found making such statements or engaging in intimidation
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Seeking to prevent its workers from making statements that could damage the party’s image ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Samajwadi Party national general secretary Shivpal Yadav on Monday warned them against threatening anyone or using intimidating language.
Addressing workers at the party’s block office in Saifai, Etawah, during a Diwali programme, he directed all district presidents to immediately expel any worker found making such statements or engaging in intimidation.
“No worker should threaten anyone or use language like ‘Elections will be over, the government will come, then we will see.’ If any worker is found doing so, district presidents must expel him from the party at once,” Yadav said.
He emphasised that the party’s image must not be tarnished and urged workers to maintain discipline, respect all sections of society, and focus on organisational strengthening and booth-level work.
Describing the 2027 UP polls as a “do-or-die” battle for the SP, comparable to the freedom struggle, Yadav called on cadres to work with the same spirit. He also cautioned that the BJP could orchestrate conspiracies by getting people to make such remarks in the SP’s name to defame the party.
The warning comes amid sustained BJP attacks on the SP over law-and-order issues and allegations of hooliganism. By enforcing discipline early, the SP aims to project a cleaner, more responsible image ahead of the high-stakes polls.
SP president Akhilesh Yadav has repeatedly appealed for decorum. On October 28, following the party’s gains in the UP legislative council elections, the SP chief had asked workers not to organise victory processions or create any “commotion”.
He instead urged them to celebrate peacefully on social media, warning that BJP supporters could infiltrate celebrations, create disturbances and then accuse the SP of hooliganism to tarnish its image months before the assembly elections.
In March 2026, Akhilesh Yadav had similarly urged workers at the party headquarters to maintain discipline, avoid provocation and uphold simplicity in their conduct and language, describing the SP as a principled organisation.
The latest warning also comes against the backdrop of past controversies involving senior leaders. Remarks by SP leader Azam Khan targeting government officers during election campaigns had triggered controversy and landed him in legal trouble, including jail terms. The BJP has repeatedly cited such incidents to attack the SP over law-and-order issues, making the leadership’s renewed emphasis on restraint an attempt to counter that narrative.
