UP polls 2027: 'Won't contest election,' says SP chief Akhilesh Yadav; cites 2012 win

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has signalled that he may not contest the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, saying he would instead take oath as chief minister “directly” while continuing as a Lok Sabha MP.

Speaking to reporters in Varanasi, Yadav was asked whether he would enter the fray from the city in next year’s Assembly election. He replied that the people of Kashi understood the difference between the auspicious and inauspicious, before adding: “We become chief minister when we do not contest elections. So, we will do what is auspicious for us.”

He then made his position more explicit: “I became CM when I did not contest an Assembly election; that is why I will do whatever is ‘shubh’ for me. So, I will take the CM’s oath directly from the Lok Sabha.”

The remark, delivered in his characteristic tongue-in-cheek style, immediately set off speculation about the SP’s campaign strategy for the high-stakes state polls.

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A 2012 Precedent

Yadav invoked his first stint as Uttar Pradesh chief minister in 2012, when he assumed office while representing Kannauj in the Lok Sabha. He said he would follow the same route if the SP forms the government after the 2027 polls, taking the oath as chief minister while remaining a member of parliament.

Yadav is currently the Lok Sabha member from Kannauj—the same constituency he represented when he first became chief minister.

Varanasi Seat Question

When pressed on which seat the Samajwadi Party might contest in Varanasi, Yadav turned the question back on the reporter, saying, “You tell us the seat and I will contest in Varanasi.” He added that he had always believed the people of Kashi were religious and could distinguish between what was auspicious and inauspicious.

The comments suggest that the SP chief is keeping his personal electoral plans deliberately ambiguous, even as he frames the possibility of not contesting as politically "auspicious".

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Jab at BJP Over Tickets

Yadav also used the interaction to attack the ruling BJP, claiming the party was preparing to deny tickets to around 200 sitting MLAs ahead of the 2027 election. He alleged that the first tickets to be cut would be those of ministers from Kashi.

On candidate selection, the SP president said the party would pick candidates on the basis of their winning potential, indicating that local electability would be a central criterion in its seat distribution.