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Uttar Pradesh minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar predicted that Abbas Ansari and Jagdish Narayan Rai might cross-vote for the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the state’s forthcoming Rajya Sabha election. Neither MLA had confirmed an intention to do so in the report, which said both were unavailable for comment.
What Rajbhar said about the two MLAs
Hindustan Times reported on October 3, 2026, that Rajbhar said the two SBSP legislators were “most likely” to cross-vote for the SP. He named Abbas Ansari, the MLA for Mau Sadar, and Jagdish Narayan Rai, the MLA for Zafrabad in Jaunpur. Both had won their assembly seats on SBSP tickets in 2022, according to the report.
Rajbhar characterized the two as aligned with the SP, saying: “These two MLAs are known for putting the SP flag on their vehicles. They have been with the SP since 2022. It’s nothing new and I am not shocked.” That was Rajbhar’s description, not an independently established account of their party affiliation.
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Why the prediction surfaced
The immediate trigger was a reported meeting between Ansari and SP president Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on October 2. The meeting fueled speculation about how Ansari might vote. Yadav said, “Elections are a time for coming together. It is a time to set aside past mistakes and return to one’s principles. Those colleagues who feel that our democracy, Constitution, and economy are under attack should put the past behind them and return.”
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SP spokesperson Abbas Haider described meetings across party lines as routine: “Political meetings are a normal part of public life. Leaders and legislators from different parties often meet and there is nothing unusual about it.” Neither Ansari nor Rai was available for comment in the Hindustan Times report. Asianet News Hindi also presented the possible SP votes as Rajbhar’s claim rather than an announcement from the MLAs.
Why two possible cross-votes mattered
The contest involved 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh. Hindustan Times reported that the SP had named Ram Gopal Yadav and industrialist Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani, and indicated it might field a third nominee. The report said the BJP was pursuing an eighth seat. In that context, the votes of individual legislators could affect whether the SP had enough support to make a third candidate viable.
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The report described the election as proportional representation by single transferable vote. Its estimates and schedule, reported on October 3, 2026, were:
| Reported figure or event | What the October 3 report said |
|---|---|
| Assembly strength | 397 effective members, compared with a full strength of 403 after recent vacancies |
| Votes needed per candidate | Approximately 37 first-preference votes, based on the report’s stated effective strength |
| SP surplus after two candidates | Political estimates cited in the report ranged from roughly 21 to 29 votes |
| Estimated shortfall for a viable third SP candidate | Political estimates cited in the report ranged from about 8 to 17 first-preference votes |
| Nomination deadline | October 6, 2026 |
| Polling date | October 16, 2026 |
| Outgoing members’ terms expired | November 25, 2026 |
The vote and surplus figures were the newspaper’s account of political calculations, not a settled projection. The schedule, vacancies, and assembly-strength figures here are likewise those reported contemporaneously; they are not independently verified against an official election notice.
What the previous election does—and does not—show
Hindustan Times said the BJP won eight seats and the SP two in Uttar Pradesh’s 2024 Rajya Sabha election, while the SP’s third candidate lost amid reported cross-voting. That history helps explain why cross-voting allegations attract attention, but it does not establish how Ansari or Rai would vote in the 2026 contest.
The same report said Ansari, 34, won Mau Sadar in 2022 by more than 38,000 votes, while Rai, 73, won Zafrabad by about 6,300 votes. These are historical figures reported by the newspaper and were not separately checked against official election returns.
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What was confirmed as of October 3
- Rajbhar predicted that Ansari and Rai were likely to cross-vote for the SP.
- The report identified both as legislators elected on SBSP tickets in 2022.
- Neither MLA had confirmed the prediction in the report; both were unavailable for comment.
- The October 16 poll date and seat arithmetic were reported figures, not independently verified official details.
Accordingly, the report supported a claim about Rajbhar’s forecast—not a claim that either legislator had pledged support or that a cross-vote had already taken place.
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