Kamal Ghorui
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said the party has ended its association with the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), citing financial constraints rather than political reasons.Speaking at a press conference, Yadav clarified that the party had briefly engaged I-PAC as part of its early preparations for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, but was unable to sustain the arrangement due to limited resources. “Yes, we had an association. They worked with us for a few months, but we are not able to continue because we do not have that kind of funding,” he said, as quoted by PTI.He pushed back against speculation that the move was linked to recent electoral outcomes, calling such claims unfounded adding, “There is no such thing. Do not ask questions based on baseless reports. That is not true.”“This is not the reason for ending the agreement. We simply do not have enough funds. If you (the media) give us funds, we can hire another company,” the former Uttar Pradesh CM further clarified.I-PAC, a prominent political consultancy known for managing campaign strategies across India, has previously been associated with election strategist Prashant Kishor, who has worked with multiple parties, including the BJP and the Congress.Taking a swipe at the growing ecosystem of political consultancies, Yadav remarked that there is no shortage of firms offering campaign services, from survey agencies and social media managers to outfits specialising in negative campaigning. He added, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, that more such companies could be brought on board if resources permitted, without naming them.This comes as reports had earlier swirled about uncertainty on the tie-up intensified after the Trinamool Congress’s electoral setback in West Bengal, where I-PAC has been handling campaign strategy since 2019.Sources had indicated that while I-PAC made a presentation to the SP leadership outlining a possible campaign blueprint, talks never progressed into a formal agreement. Party insiders had also suggested that Akhilesh Yadav was not fully convinced about bringing the consultancy on board, even as discussions were initiated at the instance of the TMC leadership.
