Jolt to Congress, boost for SP: Ex-UP minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui rallies behind Akhilesh

Former Uttar Pradesh minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui, who quit the Congress about a month ago, joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Sunday in the presence of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow, pledging to help the SP “form its government under Akhilesh Yadav by winning the 2027 UP Assembly polls”. Along with Siddiqui, former BSP minister Anis Ahmad Khan “Phool Babu”, a prominent leader from Pilibhit, also joined the Samajwadi Party. Ahmad had unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Pilibhit as a BSP candidate. Welcoming them, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said their joining was “big” as it would strengthen the victory of PDA (Pichhda, Dalits and Alpasankhyak) in the 2027 Assembly polls. “Bahujan samaj aur Samajwadi Party ka rishta gehra hota ja raha hai (The ties between the Bahujan Samaj and Samajwadi Party are deepening),” Akhilesh said, adding their entry to his party was like a “PDA milan” before the “Holi milan”. Siddiqui, 66, had quit the Congress, alleging that there was no meaningful role for him in the party. Once a close aide of BSP chief Mayawati and a key minister in her governments, he had joined the Congress ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. His switch has put the Congress in an awkward position, given that both the grand old party and the SP are key allies in the Opposition INDIA alliance. Senior Congress leaders had attempted to persuade Siddiqui to stick to the party after his announcement last month, assuring him of organisational responsibilities and a larger role. However, he along with his supporters, chose to cross over to the SP. His presence was seen as significant for the Congress, which is eyeing a larger share in the INDIA alliance’s seat sharing for the 2027 UP polls. Addressing supporters at the SP office, Siddiqui said that regardless of their political past, they must now work in line with the SP’s ideology and focus on forming the Akhilesh-led government next year. “Hum jismein rahe, usmein rahe, ab humko is party ki vichar dhara ke sath chalna hai… Samajwadi Party ki sarkar 2027 mein banana hai, Akhilesh Yadav ko yahan ka mukhyamantri banana hai (Wherever we were in the past, we now have to move forward with the ideology of this party… We have to form a SP government in 2027 and make Akhilesh Yadav the Chief Minister),” he said, calling upon his supporters to prepare for “sacrifices while maintaining discipline”. He also invoked socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia and SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, saying that irrespective of the party he had been associated with in the past, he had always regarded Mulayam as his leader. Siddiqui began his political career in Banda district of the Bundelkhand region. He was elected to the Assembly from Banda in 1991 and went on to serve as a minister in successive BSP governments in 1995, 1997 and 2002. His influence peaked between 2007 and 2012 during the BSP’s full-majority tenure, when he was considered among the most powerful ministers. • 1Sharad Pawar pushed to corner as Sunetra tightens her grip on NCP, merger unravels • 2Fate of 60 lakh Bengal voters in limbo; EROs, electors in dark on process, reasons why names were flagged • 3Congress stands isolated once more as other Opposition parties, from DMK to TMC to SP, back Kejriwal, admonish BJP • 4In Odisha churn, Patnaik, Congress join hands against BJP in RS polls, bat for a ‘common face’ • 5Why TMC chose Menaka Guruswamy, Rajeev Kumar, Babul Supriyo, Koel Mallick for Rajya Sabha However, the BSP’s poor performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, in which it failed to win a single seat, and later in the 2017 Assembly polls — where it secured just 19 of 403 seats — triggered the exit of several senior leaders, including Siddiqui. Mayawati expelled him and his son, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 elections, on charges of “anti-party activities”. Following his expulsion, Siddiqui levelled various allegations against the BSP supremo. A year later, after prolonged deliberations, he joined the Congress in the presence of then All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad and UP Congress chief Raj Babbar. He was inducted into key Congress panels and, in 2019, appointed president of the Congress’s western zone after the party divided its state unit into six organisational zones.