Lucknow, October 2, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on Friday criticised the Samajwadi Party (SP) over its choice of Rajya Sabha candidates from Uttar Pradesh, accusing the Akhilesh Yadav-led party of promoting family influence and money power while claiming to represent socialist and PDA politics.
The SP has nominated senior leader Prof Ram Gopal Yadav and corporate executive and sports administrator Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. Both filed their nominations on September 30. Ten Rajya Sabha seats from the state are scheduled to go to polls on October 16, if required.
In a post on X, Mayawati said the BSP does not give election tickets to family members, relatives or wealthy individuals, irrespective of the election, and instead fields what she described as hardworking Ambedkarite activists from poor, middle-class and weaker sections.
“The BSP, unlike opposition parties, especially the Samajwadi Party, does not give tickets to family members, relatives, siblings, nephews or close associates, or particularly to big capitalists and wealthy individuals in any election,” she said.
Targeting the SP’s decision to renominate Ram Gopal Yadav, Mayawati described him as a close relative of Akhilesh Yadav and said the move reflected what she called the party’s “dual policy”.
She also questioned the selection of Dhanraj Nathwani, referring to his prominent business background. Nathwani is associated with Reliance Industries and is the son of Parimal Nathwani, a Rajya Sabha member representing Jharkhand. He is also president of the Gujarat Cricket Association.
Mayawati further claimed that the SP could field a third candidate with little prospect of winning merely to “save face”, and accused the party of seeking the support of PDA communities during elections while allegedly favouring family members and wealthy individuals for representation.
She appealed to Dalits, Adivasis, most backward classes, Muslims, other religious minorities and economically weaker sections among upper-caste communities to remain “alert and cautious” ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Mayawati said the BSP’s “Ambedkarite” politics offered a different model from what she described as the SP’s approach, urging voters not to be misled by the latter’s PDA messaging.
FOLLOW NOW
