Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh has written to party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleging that the Maharashtra unit is being run like a 'private company'. Shaikh claims influential elements are running a disinformation campaign against him and that election tickets are being distributed unfairly, favoring newcomers over loyalists. He cited an instance where his brother's nomination for the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation polls was withdrawn following state leadership objections. Shaikh believes the party missed an opportunity in BMC elections due to these internal issues.