{"id":25454,"date":"2026-09-17T15:17:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T15:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=25454"},"modified":"2026-09-17T15:17:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T15:17:00","slug":"if-i-open-my-mouth-decoding-deepening-fault-lines-between-allies-turned-rivals-akhilesh-yadav-jayant-choudhary-india-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=25454","title":{"rendered":"‘If I open my mouth’: Decoding deepening fault lines between allies-turned-rivals – Akhilesh Yadav & Jayant Choudhary | India News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Akhilesh Yadav vs Jayant Chaudhary<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Akhilesh Yadav<\/a> and Jayant Choudhary were once allies. Now, every exchange between them seems to make their fallout a little more bitter and also personal.Their ongoing face-off touched a new low this week after Jayant unleashed another strong attack on his former ally. “When we had an alliance with them, we knew many things, but all those details are not supposed to be shared. It is my \u2018gravity\u2019 that I don\u2019t talk about those things. If I open my mouth and share all those details, he won\u2019t find space to even stand in Uttar Pradesh,” Jayant warned Akhilesh.The RLD chief’s angry reaction came after he was asked about Akhilesh\u2019s remarks on number of seats Jayant should get to contest in the 2027 assembly elections as part of the BJP-led NDA.Akhilesh, who has often targeted Jayant ever since they parted ways in 2024, had mocked the RLD’s current standing within the NDA and suggested that the BJP should give it many more seats than what it got under SP alliance if it truly respected the legacy of Chaudhary Charan Singh, Jayant\u2019s grandfather and former Prime Minister.Jayant hit back strongly and accused Akhilesh of making “light remarks.”<\/p>\n

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Jayant countered Akhilesh\u2019s remarks<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Jayant also tried to turn the Chavvani jibe against Akhilesh and said: “PDA (which refers to backwards, dalits and minorities) plank of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav was aimed at reaching out beyond the party’s traditional vote bank, but people would also judge on how much respect and unity the party had maintained with its earlier supporters.\u201dThe RLD allies once again came out strongly in support of Jayant and attacked the SP leadership.Chief minister Yogi Adityanath led the counter-attack on behalf of Jayant and termed the SP chief’s comments an “insult to democracy”. He accused Akhilesh of making a “mockery of democratic discourse” by resorting to cheap language against political opponents. The UP CM also labeled Akhilesh\u2019s remarks as an insult to the entire farming community and the legacy of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh. Other UP ministers also jumped to the defence of Jayant Choudhary.The latest exchange comes after an ugly war of words last month triggered by Akhilesh Yadav\u2019s \u201cchavanni\u201d jibe at Jayant over walking out of the SP alliance ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and joining the BJP-led NDA.<\/p>\n

The ‘chavanni’ story<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

The origins of Akhilesh\u2019s Chavanni jibe go back to January 2022. Jayant, who was then allied with the Samajwadi Party, was asked about attempts by the BJP to bring him into its camp.“Main koi chavanni hoon jo palat jaunga” (I am not a 25 paise coin that will flip), Jayant had said then. But two years later, the \u201cchavvani\u201d did flip.<\/p>\n

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Jayant slammed Akhilesh<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the RLD walked out of its alliance with the SP and joined the NDA. This happened after the Modi government conferred the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor, posthumously to former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh in February 2024, months before the Lok Sabha elections.At a recent event, the SP chief recalled Jayant\u2019s political switch and said: “Jaane kahan-kahan se aa gaye the log gathbandhan banane. Humne chavanni ka rupya bana diya tha, tab bhi humein chhod kar chale gaye wo. (\u201cPeople from all sorts of places had come to ally with us. We had raised their political worth from a \u2018chavanni\u2019 to a full rupee, yet they left us and walked away.\u201d).”Akhilesh did not take names, but the reference was obvious.Jayant had reacted strongly to Akhilesh\u2019s jibe and accused the SP chief of making ‘cheap’ remarks. \u201cIf he wanted to attack me politically, he should have taken my name directly instead of making indirect references,\u201d Jayant had then said.The RLD chief had then received strong support from his allies, with the BJP coming out in his defence. Even BSP chief Mayawati backed Jayant. They quickly turned Akhilesh\u2019s attack on Jayant into an attack against Choudhary Charan Singh, the farmers and the Jat community.<\/p>\n

Battleground Western UP<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

So, why is Akhilesh targeting Jayant? Is he still trying to settle political scores for the RLD chief\u2019s betrayal in 2024? Or is Akhilesh trying to drive a wedge between RLD and BJP ahead of the assembly elections?Akhilesh knows that the stakes are high for all political parties in Western Uttar Pradesh. With the RLD no longer on his side, the SP chief plans to go all out to strengthen its presence in the region ahead of the 2027 polls.Jayant Choudhary, meanwhile, has been trying to broaden the RLD\u2019s social base and extend his party\u2019s areas of influence in Uttar Pradesh. This is important for him to show his clout within the NDA. Western UP, with its sizeable Jat, Muslim and farming communities, has traditionally been an important electoral battleground for Jayant and RLD.The politics in the region is already beginning to get tense. Last week, Akhilesh had to cancel his Western UP outreach in the region after a party meeting planned in Bulandshahr could not be held. The local administration, citing waterlogging, refused permission for landing of his chopper. The SP alleged that the waterlogging was an “excuse” and that the BJP-led government was behind the denial.The SP reacted by announcing that the party will organise a series of rallies in Western UP, beginning from Bulandshahr. “Sometime later this month, the national president will visit Bulandshahr and he will also tour every district of western Uttar Pradesh. Saharanpur will also be included in the programme in due course,” senior SP leader and party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said.“The public is watching and understanding everything. When the time comes, they will teach the BJP a befitting lesson,” he said.Saharanpur is also expected to figure in the SP’s upcoming political outreach. The district has recently witnessed a political and legal controversy following the demolition of a mosque structure in the collectorate premises.So, the SP\u2019s aggressive pitch against Jayant could be part of its political offensive to dominate the region.<\/p>\n

Why is Akhilesh speculating RLD seats?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Is Akhilesh\u2019s ploy of linking RLD seats to the legacy of Choudhary Charan Singh an attempt to drive a wedge between Jayant and the BJP?When Jayant contested the 2022 assembly elections with Akhilesh, the RLD had got 33 seats as part of the SP alliance. Now, by linking seats for RLD to Chaudhary Charan Singh\u2019s legacy, Akhilesh could be trying to pile pressure on both Jayant and the BJP when they sit to negotiate a workable formula to divide seats, especially in Western Uttar Pradesh, where RLD has a strong presence.But will this work? Political analyst J P Shukla says no. \u201cIf Akhilesh Yadav hopes to gain from trying to create differences between RLD and BJP, he is not going to succeed. It is now too late for any major political realignment. By now, they would have settled most of the issues among them,\u201d Shukla says.Shukla terms these political face-offs as an attempt by leaders to keep their cadres engaged and energised for the political battle.Senior political analyst Anand Vardhan Singh says Jayant would not mind the attention from the war of words with Akhilesh. \u201cHis strong remark against Akhilesh is posturing for a greater share of seats. And to that extent, the confrontation with Akhilesh helps,\u201d he says.Singh says Jayant has little room to manoeuvre as most of the Jats would stay with the BJP even if the RLD chief decides to leave the NDA.Explaining Akhilesh\u2019s attacks, Anand Vardhan Singh says, \u201cAkhilesh is desperate for Dalit votes and would not mind being branded anti-Jats.\u201d<\/p>\n

Could Akhilesh end up helping Jayant?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

While Akhilesh may be stepping up his political attacks on Jayant to push him on the back foot, the SP chief should be wary of his strategy being counterproductive. His remarks have already prompted BJP leaders to rally behind Jayant Choudhary. From chief minister Yogi Adityanath to several UP ministers, BJP leaders have hit back at Akhilesh, presenting his attacks on Jayant as an insult to Chaudhary Charan Singh, farmers and the Jat community.Even BSP chief Mayawati came out openly in support of the RLD chief after the Chavvani face-off. Mayawati condemned Akhilesh Yadav and sought his apology.“The public statement made by the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief regarding his former ally party, the Rashtriya Lok Dal, and its leader, the Union Minister–that “Hum logon ne chavanni ko rupaiya bana diya, phir bhi chhod ke chale gaye”–is utterly indecent, unbecoming, and extremely shameful. <\/p>\n

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