A hoarding declaring Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav as the ‘future Prime Minister’ of India surfaced outside the party’s Lucknow office, putting back the spotlight on tensions between the Congress and SP, the two key members of the opposition INDIA bloc. The poster was put up by party spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan ‘Chaand’.

When asked about the motive behind putting such poster outside the party office, Fakhrul Hasan ‘Chaand’ said, “Akhilesh Yadav’s birthday is on July 1, but to express their love and respect towards their leader, Samajwadi Party workers celebrate his birthday multiple times.”

He added, “Today, some party leaders and workers are celebrating his birthday. Party workers are praying that Akhilesh Yadav becomes the PM of the country and serves the people.”

Reacting to the poster, BJP leader and minister in the Uttar Pradesh government Danish Azad Ansari said that no one can stop anyone from daydreaming.

“There is a saying, ‘Mungeri Lal Ke Haseen Sapne’. Nobody can stop anyone from daydreaming. But one should dream as per one’s capability. Under PM Modi’s leadership, our country is going ahead on the path of development. People of the country trust PM Modi and the country will definitely elect PM Modi as the PM for the third time.” Danish Ansari said.

Akhilesh Yadav’s SP is a member of the INDIA bloc, an alliance of 28 political parties formed earlier this year to take on the Narendra Modi-led BJP juggernaut in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The alliance, however, has not declared the face of its prime ministerial candidate.

A war of words erupted last week over their failure to arrive at a seat-sharing arrangement between the Congress and Samajwadi Party for the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls. Yadav on Saturday said that Congress should not “betray” the Samajwadi Party and should make it clear if they want an alliance or not.

He, however, hinted the Congress leadership has approached him over the issue.

“I received a message from someone through the seniormost leader of the Congress party. If he is saying something, I will have to follow. He gave some message,” Yadav said, without revealing any name or explaining further. “But one thing I want to say is: why did they call us if they did not want an alliance?”