Samajwadi Party cuts tie with I-PAC: Akhilesh Yadav mentions funding crunch ahead of 2027 UP polls
sajwadi party leader Akhilesh Yadav The party said on Wednesday it had terminated ties with the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), citing financial constraints rather than political reasons.Addressing a press conference, Yadav clarified that the party had briefly engaged with I-PAC as part of its early preparations for the 2027 general elections uttar pradesh parliamentary elections, but limited resources made it impossible to maintain this arrangement. “Yes, we have an association. They have been working with us for a few months but we cannot continue because we do not have that kind of funds,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.
He dismissed speculation that the move was related to the recent election results, calling the claims baseless, adding, “There is no such thing. Don’t ask questions based on baseless reports. That’s not true.”“That’s not a reason to terminate the agreement. We just don’t have enough funds. If you (media) give us funds, we can hire another company,” the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister further clarified.I-PAC, a prominent political consulting firm known for managing campaign strategies across India, has previously been associated with election strategist Prashant Kishor, who has worked with various political parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress.Yadav took a swipe at the growing political consulting ecosystem, saying there was no shortage of companies offering campaign services, from investigative agencies and social media managers to agencies specializing in negative campaigning. He added, half-jokingly, that more such companies could be invited to join if resources allowed, without naming them.Earlier, there were reports that uncertainty about cooperation between the two parties increased after the Trinamool Congress party suffered an electoral setback in West Bengal. I-PAC has been handling campaign strategy in West Bengal since 2019.Sources said that while I-PAC presented a possible campaign blueprint to the SP leadership, the negotiations never resulted in a formal agreement. Party insiders also said that Akhilesh Yadav was not entirely convinced about bringing the consultancy on board despite discussions being initiated at the behest of the TMC leadership.
