Akhilesh alleges BJP behind ‘fake’ posters in Lucknow, seeks action against municipal officials

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of orchestrating a campaign of “fake” posters across Lucknow and other districts to create a rift within the INDIA bloc ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, and demanded that municipal officials who allowed the unauthorised displays be suspended.

Poster campaign triggers political blame game

Posters and hoardings bearing the slogan “200 seat haq hai hamara, UP ko hai Rahul Gandhi par bharosa” — featuring images of Rahul Gandhi alongside local leaders — appeared in parts of Lucknow and elsewhere, prompting sharp reactions from the SP leadership. In a post on X, Mr Yadav alleged the banners were erected without official permission and without payment of the requisite municipal charges, suggesting a deliberate attempt to conceal the backers of the campaign.

“The posters have been put up without official permission or payment of the requisite charges,” Mr Yadav said in his post, accusing the BJP of trying to manufacture differences between Congress and the Samajwadi Party.

He said the presence of such unauthorised displays was causing revenue losses to local bodies and indicated that those behind the campaign might be avoiding fee payments to hide their identities. Mr Yadav said the SP was maintaining a date-wise record of such incidents and the officials allegedly responsible for permitting them.

Demand for administrative and investigative action

Mr Yadav demanded that municipal authorities suspend officials who failed to prevent the erection of the posters and called for action against those responsible. He also said that if voted to power the SP-led PDA government would take strong action, including activating central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) to examine the conduct of implicated officials.

The PDA — an acronym coined by Mr Yadav — stands for ‘Pichhde’ (backward classes), Dalits and ‘Alpsankhyak’ (minorities). The threat to deploy central investigative agencies underlines the SP’s attempt to frame the issue as one of corruption and administrative collusion rather than mere electoral messaging.

Political context: seat claims and alliance friction

The posters appeared to highlight the Congress’s reported push for roughly 200 seats in Uttar Pradesh as part of seat-sharing negotiations with the Samajwadi Party inside the INDIA alliance. The demand for such a large number of seats has been a matter of discussion and some scepticism within the SP, according to party sources.

Congress’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge, Rajendra Pal Gautam, was mentioned in reporting on the episode but did not make detailed comments in the material published alongside Mr Yadav’s allegations.

• Allegation: BJP placing fake posters to create discord in INDIA bloc.
• Immediate demand: Suspension of municipal officials who allowed posters without fees.
• Follow-up action threatened: Use of ED, CBI and EOW by a future SP-led government to probe officials.

Local governance and revenue angle

Mr Yadav’s charge that unauthorised displays entailed revenue loss to local bodies draws attention to the administrative processes that govern outdoor advertising. Municipalities typically require permissions and levy fees for hoardings and posters; failure to collect fees not only reduces municipal revenues but also complicates accountability, because fee records help identify advertisers.

By framing the matter around non-payment of fees and municipal inaction, the SP has shifted the debate from pure electoral messaging to governance lapses, seeking to put pressure on civic authorities allied to the ruling party at the state level.

What this means for the INDIA bloc

The SP’s public airing of the issue underscores sensitivities within the INDIA coalition over seat-sharing and public messaging. While the posters appear to amplify the Congress’s asserted demand for close to 200 seats in UP, party insiders say not all SP leaders regard the figure as realistic — a tension the banners may have been designed to magnify.

With the 2027 assembly polls approaching, visible signals of discord between allies can quickly become campaign fodder. The SP’s decision to document incidents and name responsible officials suggests it intends to respond administratively and politically if similar episodes recur.

Table: Key claims and responses

As the state moves closer to polling season, disputes over messaging, responsibility for public displays and municipal oversight are likely to intensify. The SP has signalled it will pursue both administrative and investigative routes if it believes civic officials have been complicit; whether authorities will act remains to be seen.