Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has strongly rejected claims by Om Prakash Rajbhar that his party is headed for a split. Hitting back at the BJP and its allies, Akhilesh alleged that the ruling party has a history of engineering defections in opposition ranks. He accused the BJP of attempting to weaken rival parties and asserted that the Samajwadi Party remains united. The SP chief also issued a political challenge, saying his party would reduce the BJP's strength in the Chief Minister's political bastion and stressed the need for courage to take on the ruling party.