Sachan photo with Yadav sparks Rajya Sabha cross‑voting talk in UP
Published
Sachan, a BJP cabinet minister, says it was a courtesy call on the Speaker. Akhilesh Yadav claims many BJP MLAs are in touch with the SP, as Uttar Pradesh prepares to elect 10 Rajya Sabha members.
Reporting as of 1 October 2026, 9.15am IST.
The setting, according to AajTak, was the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker's chamber. In the frame: BJP cabinet minister Rakesh Sachan (राकेश सचान), Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and the SP's Rajya Sabha candidate, Dhanraj Nathwani.
The photo surfaced on 30 September, after the SP filed its Rajya Sabha nominations, and talk of cross-voting followed. Cross-voting is when legislators back a candidate their own party does not support. None of the reports we read quotes any MLA saying they will do so.
Sachan says it was a courtesy call on the Speaker
Sachan said the meeting was a courtesy call on the Speaker and had no political meaning, AajTak reported. "I am a government minister," he said.
He is a minister in the state's BJP government who was earlier with the SP and the Congress, AajTak notes. Akhilesh Yadav answered the speculation with a question of his own.
Akhilesh Yadav claims many BJP MLAs are in touch with the SP
"I also met the Speaker, so is the government changing?" Akhilesh said, according to Vishwa Media. He also claimed that many BJP MLAs are in touch with his party.
The two outlets we read told it differently. AajTak led with the photo fuelling cross-voting talk, while Vishwa Media led with Akhilesh's answer. Both come back to the same vote.
Uttar Pradesh is electing 10 Rajya Sabha members
10 seats are at stake. The SP has fielded Ram Gopal Yadav and Nathwani. The BJP had not announced its candidates when Vishwa Media reported.
The same report says the BJP bought 8 nomination forms and the SP bought 3. Buying a form is not the same as filing a nomination, so those figures do not show how many candidates will run.
That leaves the numbers that would decide the vote unclear for now.
The vote arithmetic and the date are still unclear
- The exact vote arithmetic for the 10 seats.
- The BJP's list of candidates.
- The date of the vote, which we could not confirm from the reports we read.
The next marker is the BJP's candidate list, which had not been announced when this was reported.
This story was produced with AI assistance and reviewed, edited and verified by the reporter before publication.
Covered by 3 outlets across the spectrum: 0% left, 33% center, 67% right.
Who is covering this story
- Right-leaning (1): AajTak
- Not yet rated (1): Vishwa Media
Sources
- Rakesh Sachan's photo with Akhilesh Yadav fuels Rajya Sabha cross-voting talk in UP — AajTak (right-leaning) ·
- Rakesh Sachan's photo with Akhilesh Yadav fuels Rajya Sabha cross-voting talk in UP — AajTak (right-leaning) ·
- Rakesh Sachan's photo with Akhilesh Yadav fuels Rajya Sabha cross-voting talk in UP — Vishwa Media (not yet rated) ·