Politics in Uttar Pradesh has suddenly heated up. With the Rajya Sabha and assembly elections approaching, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav made sensational comments that several MLAs from the ruling BJP are in touch with him. The BJP also responded in kind. Politics became even more juicy when UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya countered by saying that 25 MLAs from the SP are in contact with him.

"Many BJP MLAs are in touch with us. But it is difficult to get all of them into the party. We do not want to make promises that we cannot keep," Akhilesh commented. He made it clear that he will contest the upcoming assembly elections with old friends and that talks are underway about alliances with the Congress. At the same time, he criticized the BJP over the theft of donations for the Ram Temple and said that he cannot build a big economy by stealing donations.

Keshav Prasad Maurya reacted strongly to Akhilesh's comments. "25 MLAs of the Samajwadi Party are in touch with us. We will give a big shock to the SP in the Rajya Sabha elections," he warned. Overall, these allegations and counter-allegations are creating a lot of tension in the state's politics in the wake of elections to 10 Rajya Sabha seats in UP on October 16.