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Lucknow, Jun 17 (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said the INDIA bloc is intact and asserted that his party will contest the 2027 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh as part of the opposition grouping.

The former chief minister also said that the SP is fully prepared for the panchayat polls likely to be held in the state early next year.

Speaking to reporters here, the SP president said, "I have nothing to do with the statement given by anyone. Our INDIA alliance is intact. Those who want to leave the INDIA alliance can go." He made the remarks when asked to comment on the recent statement by Congress MP Imran Masood, who reportedly said that his party is not a "beggar" which will demand seats from the SP.

Both the Congress and SP are members of the opposition INDIA bloc which was formed ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to take on the BJP.

Yadav also said that his party will contest the 2027 assembly polls under the INDIA bloc.

The former CM's announcement holds significance as the SP-Congress alliance in UP delivered a remarkable performance in the 2024 parliamentary elections winning a total 43 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Yadav also took a dig at UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya, alleging that bogies of the double-engine government in the state are colliding with each other.

"In a place like Kaushambi, the two deputy CMs have spoiled the atmosphere, they are not letting anyone get justice...they do not want any PDA family to get justice," he said.

However, Yadav did not elaborate on the incident of Kaushambi.

He also said that his party is in favour of caste census.

"If the government of the 'samajwadis' is formed, we will get the census done in three months. Today, there is technology, today there are resources and things can be done in less time," he said.

On the 2026 panchayat elections in the state, he said, "We are fully prepared for the panchayat elections. We will hold a party meeting in this regard." Attacking the ruling BJP, Yadav said it is heard that the BJP has hired a big consultant for the polls. "There are about 52,000 gram panchayats right now. They (BJP) are thinking about increasing the numbers, so that our votes get messed up." To a question about the success of the PDA (Pichhda, Dalits, Alpasankhyak) formula in 2027, Yadav said, "This is not a formula, it is an emotional alliance. Those who are 'pidit' (victimised), 'dukhi' (sad) and 'apmaanit' (insulted) are in the PDA, and today I am happy that people from the Pasmanda community are also in the PDA. P also stands for Pasmanda Samaj." On safety of Indians stranded in Iran, he said, "I had appealed to the government yesterday and today again I appeal that wherever the war is going on and if our students and people are stranded in that area, then it is the responsibility of the Indian government to bring them back." Yadav alleged that the BJP has its eyes on the land of intermediate schools.

"The government could not build Sainik School on its own, and is now building it on PPP (mode) to oblige their people," he claimed.

The SP chief also alleged the state government has been conspiring for the last eight years that poor children should not go to primary schools, that is why standards of these schools are being lowered.

"As many primary schools have been closed, there is a plan to sell them," he said. 

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)