SP’s Abhishek Mishra Signals Tide Turning in Uttar Pradesh Politics

After slipping a ballot into the box in the ongoing Legislative Council elections, former Uttar Pradesh minister Abhishek Mishra, a senior face of the Samajwadi Party (SP), told reporters that the state is “heading for a very big change.” He said the mood he sensed on the ground—conversations about jobs, water, schools and security—was unmistakably shifting away from the BJP.

“People are tired of endless promises and no jobs,” Mishra said, his voice a mix of conviction and a hint of impatience. “When I stood in line, every other voter was talking about unemployment. That anger is translating into votes for us, for the Samajwadi Party.” He added that if the electorate expects delivery on employment, education, irrigation, health and safety, “it will only come from us.”

The SP leader didn’t just stop at feelings; he linked the current sentiment to concrete electoral hopes. Mishra expressed confidence that the party would not only perform well in the council polls but also secure a majority in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. “We see a ray of hope,” he said, “and we intend to turn that hope into a mandate.”

He also touched on a separate, more technical issue that has been making the rounds in local media: discrepancies in the voter list. Mishra highlighted complaints about more than 13,000 irregularities in Pilibhit and praised the Election Commission for stepping in after “verified data and facts” were submitted. “It shows the power of vigilant citizens,” he noted, adding that his party’s workers are deployed as “Samajwadi praharis” at every polling station to guard against fraud.

Other SP heavy‑weights echoed the upbeat tone. Ram Gopal Yadav, speaking after casting his vote in Etawah, claimed the party’s candidates were leading in constituencies such as Etawah, Firozabad, Agra and Aligarh. “Our teachers’ and graduates’ candidates will win hands‑down,” he asserted.

Across the aisle, BJP’s Anil Rajbhar urged voters to turn up, insisting his party’s candidates would “win by a huge margin.” The council elections, which are also taking place in Bihar, Karnataka and Maharashtra, are being watched closely as they could foreshadow the broader political currents ahead of the 2027 state polls.

According to the Election Commission of India, the terms of 11 council members in Uttar Pradesh, along with seats in four other states, are ending, creating a batch of vacancies that will be filled through today’s vote. The outcome, observers say, will be a bellwether for how voters are weighing unemployment, governance and party promises as they head toward the next big electoral showdown.