Sp Chief Whip In Up Assembly Kamal Akhtar Resigns Says No Rift With Party Mp Veera

Kamal Akhtar, the Samajwadi Party’s chief whip in the UP Legislative Assembly, resigned from his post on Tuesday. Akhtar, an MLA from Kanth assembly constituency in Moradabad, stepped down due to reported differences with the party’s Moradabad MP Ruchi Veera, insiders say.

However, speaking to the media after tendering his resignation, Akhtar denied any differences with the SP MP and said, “Ruchi Veera is our party’s MP. I have no differences with her. Our national president directed me to step down, so I resigned. When the party assigns me some other responsibility, I will shoulder it.”

Akhtar became the SP’s chief whip in July 2024 after party MLA Manoj Pandey resigned from the post for siding with the BJP in the Rajya Sabha polls.

Meanwhile, the SP leadership is expected to appoint a new chief whip soon. There are indications that the post may go to a leader from the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) community to maintain representational balance.

MP Ruchi Veera reportedly complained to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav about being ‘sidelined’ during a PDA outreach event in Moradabad. The resignation comes at a time when the SP is focusing on strengthening its organisational machinery and outreach among backward classes, Dalits and minorities ahead of the 2027 UP assembly polls.