Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of manipulating elections and alleged that if the “same dishonesty” witnessed in Bihar and West Bengal was repeated in Uttar Pradesh, future elections could be jeopardised.
Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating Urmila Garden at Soron Gate in Kasganj, Yadav said, “The kind of dishonesty seen in the Bihar and West Bengal elections, if the same loot and dishonesty happen in Uttar Pradesh, then there may never be elections in the future.”
He alleged that the BJP was trying to reshape the electoral process to suit its interests. “The BJP has also played games with women’s reservation. They want a Lok Sabha of their own design, one in which opposition leaders are unable to win,” he said.
Referring to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Yadav claimed that the BJP had been preparing to “steal votes” but asserted that the SP was now fully prepared. “We have to ensure, village by village and house by house, that no voter’s name is deleted,” he said.
‘BJP tried to delete votes but affected its own supporters’
The SP chief alleged that scrutiny of voter lists for panchayat and assembly elections would expose the BJP. He claimed that the ruling party had sought to delete votes but ended up affecting its own supporters.
“The BJP has snatched the rights of PDA (Backward, Dalit and Minority communities) and looted reservation benefits,” he said, adding that people of Uttar Pradesh had made up their minds to “teach the BJP a lesson” and that a Samajwadi Party government would be formed in 2027.
Raising the issue of alleged fake encounters, Yadav warned that those responsible would face action if the SP returned to power. “Those who have carried out fake encounters will face action in accordance with justice when the Samajwadi government is formed, and they will go to jail,” he said.
According to a statement issued by the SP headquarters, Yadav also said, “There was open dishonesty in the Bengal elections. The BJP does not believe in Babasaheb’s Constitution. If it has its way, there will be no elections in the country.”
‘Socialists have worked for UP’
Targeting the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, Yadav claimed inflation and corruption had increased while farmers continued to suffer. In a swipe at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Yadav said, “The chief minister says this region had no identity before 2017, whereas he himself had no identity before 2017. Socialists have always worked for the development of the state.”
He also alleged deterioration in public services, claiming that ambulance services launched during the SP regime had been weakened and that government hospitals were facing shortages of doctors and medicines.
Yadav further accused the BJP government of failing farmers and youth, alleging that farmers had neither received a legal guarantee for minimum support prices nor seen their incomes double.
He also alleged widespread examination paper leaks, saying they had adversely affected the future of young people, including candidates appearing for NEET.
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