Archive · 22 Sep 2026
Banners Link Akhilesh Yadav to Gangsters Ahead of UP Polls
Banners appeared in several parts of Uttar Pradesh before the next state elections.
They showed Akhilesh Yadav with gangster-politicians Atiq Ahmad and Mukhtar Ansari, and jailed leader Azam Khan.
The banners accused the Samajwadi Party of helping criminals.
Nobody has publicly claimed responsibility for putting them up.
A Samajwadi Party leader said the Bharatiya Janata Party likely made the banners.
He also said the posters were meant to create religious and social tension.
Yogi Adityanath has often accused the Samajwadi Party of protecting criminals.
He responded by saying that the past had “one district, one mafia,” while his government promotes “one district, one product.”
Unidentified groups placed banners across Uttar Pradesh featuring Akhilesh Yadav alongside Atiq Ahmad, Mukhtar Ansari and Azam Khan.
The banners accuse the Samajwadi Party of supporting mafia figures and include slogans such as “Akhilesh for mafia, mafia for Akhilesh.”
The posters appeared in cities including Lucknow, Gonda, Ayodhya, Meerut, Etawah and Ghazipur.
Samajwadi Party leader Lalchand Gautam alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party was behind the banners and demanded an investigation.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath used the “one district, one mafia” slogan to contrast earlier politics with his government’s “one district, one product” initiative.
- Who
- Unidentified groups put up banners featuring Akhilesh Yadav, Atiq Ahmad, Mukhtar Ansari and Azam Khan; the Samajwadi Party and Bharatiya Janata Party are central to the dispute.
- What
- Political banners accused the Samajwadi Party of supporting mafia figures and introduced a communal angle ahead of the elections.
- When
- The banners were reported on Monday; Atiq Ahmad died on April 15, 2023, and Mukhtar Ansari died on March 28, 2024.
- Where
- Across Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow, Gonda, Ayodhya, Meerut, Etawah and Ghazipur.
- Why
- The banners appear intended to portray the Samajwadi Party as linked to criminal figures, while the SP says they are meant to create social hatred before the 2027 elections.
Samajwadi Party's View
Adityanath's Criticism
Who produced the banners
Samajwadi Party's View
Lalchand Gautam said the Bharatiya Janata Party was behind the posters and accused the government of refusing to investigate their origin.
Adityanath's Criticism
No group has claimed responsibility, and the article does not provide a confirmed attribution for the banners.
The Samajwadi Party's record
Samajwadi Party's View
The SP portrays the banners as an attempt to create hatred and a communal atmosphere before the 2027 elections.
Adityanath's Criticism
Yogi Adityanath regularly accuses the SP of patronizing criminals and uses the names of Atiq Ahmad, Mukhtar Ansari and Azam Khan to support that criticism.
Political message
Samajwadi Party's View
The SP says the posters are designed to damage Akhilesh Yadav and inject communal tensions into the election campaign.
Adityanath's Criticism
Adityanath presents his administration as replacing the alleged earlier “one district, one mafia” environment with district-level economic promotion through “one district, one product.”
- Election context
- The controversy comes ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh elections.
- Slogans
- The banners included “Azam, Atiq, Mukhtar ran SP government” and “Akhilesh for mafia, mafia for Akhilesh.”
- Locations
- Posters were seen in Lucknow, Gonda, Ambedkar Nagar, Unnao, Etawah, Sitapur, Azamgarh, Ghazipur, Bareilly, Meerut and other places.
- People depicted
- Akhilesh Yadav was shown with Atiq Ahmad, Mukhtar Ansari and Azam Khan; Ayodhya posters also included Mitrasen Yadav.
- SP response
- SP leader Lalchand Gautam alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party was responsible and criticized the lack of an investigation.
- Yogi Adityanath's response
- Adityanath contrasted “one district, one mafia” with his government's “one district, one product” program.
- Legal status
- Azam Khan is serving a 10-year prison sentence for fraudulently obtaining two PAN numbers for his son Abdullah Azam.