Prayagraj, October 16, 2026: Vidup Agrahari, businessman and trader leader, has left the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the presence of party president Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow. Agrahari is the son of former Prayagraj mayor and Member of Parliament Late Shyama Charan Gupta. His move comes months before the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and has attracted attention in Prayagraj.
Agrahari joined the Samajwadi Party during a press conference addressed by Yadav. Explaining his decision, he alleged that traders were not receiving the respect they deserved under the BJP. He described joining the Samajwadi Party as a “homecoming”, citing his dissatisfaction with the BJP’s treatment of the trading community.
Agrahari’s latest move follows earlier differences with the BJP over political representation and ticket allocation. In March 2019, he publicly said he would contest the Lok Sabha election as an independent candidate if the BJP denied his father a ticket. Shyama Charan Gupta, who represented Allahabad in the Lok Sabha after winning the 2014 election on a BJP ticket, subsequently contested the 2019 parliamentary election from Banda on a Samajwadi Party ticket after leaving the BJP. He won the Banda seat.
Beyond politics, Agrahari has been associated with business and trader-community organisations. In September 2021, he was elected national president of the Akhil Bharatiya Agrahari Samaj at an organisational election held in Fatehpur. The election was contested, with another group disputing its validity. He has also been identified as a Uttar Pradesh office-bearer of the Akhil Bharatiya Vaishya Mahasammelan, an organisation representing the Vaishya community.
Agrahari is associated with the Shyam Group, founded by his late father. The group’s business interests include tobacco products, dairy, agro-products and hospitality. One of its hospitality ventures is Hotel Kanha Shyam in Prayagraj, where Agrahari has participated in public engagements, including an event marking the hotel’s silver jubilee in 2022.
He has also been involved in cultural activities, particularly devotional music. In October 2024, he was associated with a programme in Prayagraj featuring singer Anup Jalota. The two were also linked to plans for a devotional duet for Mahakumbh 2025, according to media reports.
Agrahari’s decision to join the Samajwadi Party adds to the political activity ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. His business background, association with trader organisations and family’s political history provide context to the move. However, the electoral implications of his switch in Prayagraj remain to be seen.
