India News | Akhilesh Yadav Accuses BJP of Vote Theft, Says SP’s PDA Alliance is Growing as BJP Loses Public Support
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday accused the BJP of vote theft and electoral wrongdoing, saying the party was losing public support as the SP’s PDA alliance continued to grow.
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 15 (ANI): Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday accused the BJP of vote theft and electoral wrongdoing, saying the party was losing public support as the SP’s PDA alliance continued to grow.
He said the SP was working to unite people through love, kindness and unity, while accusing the BJP of spreading pain, sorrow and humiliation. Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Yadav said, "Can Chief Ministers declare their tickets themselves? Then who is betrayed?... Bhajpaiyon ki tanki footegi. Aur unke liye kal matke mangwayenge bade wale (BJP's tanker will burst. And for them tomorrow we will order big pots). BJP has stolen votes and done a lot of things. It should be washed. 9.5 years later, you should come and wash it. Not a pot, a tank. A very big tank. They are going to lose. These people are giving pain, giving sorrow, insulting, and on the other hand, the Samajwadi Party is working to connect people with love, kindness, and oneness."
He also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) of attempting to manipulate electoral rolls, alleging that the poll panel was working at the ruling party's behest.
Referring to the role of the party's ‘PDA Praharis’, he said they had helped expose alleged voter manipulation and electoral malpractice by the BJP, the Election Commission and the administration.
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"I am happy that the Samajwadi Party’s ‘PDA Praharis’ have, from time to time, worked to expose alleged vote theft by the Bharatiya Janata Party, electoral malpractice by the Election Commission, and attempts to manipulate the process through the administration. They have helped prevent and expose these activities," Yadav said.
Yadav said the party’s PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) family was continuously expanding, asserting that increasing suffering, sorrow and humiliation were bringing more people into the fold, and that those attempting to stop its growth would not succeed. "...I am happy that the Samajwadi family, the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) family, is continuously growing. Wherever there is suffering, sorrow and humiliation, the more humiliation, sorrow and suffering increase, the more people continue to join the PDA family, and the more it grows. The PDA will move forward. Those who try to stop the PDA will not be able to do so," he said.
Citing an alleged incident in Lucknow's Sarojini Nagar Assembly constituency, Yadav claimed that a person named Dashrath had been made to fill out more than 100 Form 7 applications.
He said the party's PDA Praharis and organisational members had exposed the matter, following which the Election Commission acknowledged the party's complaint.
"Here in Lucknow, in the Sarojini Nagar Assembly constituency, a person named Dashrath was made to fill out more than 100 Form 7 applications. The PDA Praharis and party organisation members caught this. Later, the Election Commission had to acknowledge that the Samajwadi Party’s complaint was justified," he said.
Yadav also raised questions over the disclosure of Form 6 applications submitted for voter registration. He said 87 lakh applications had been submitted, of which 84.30 lakh new voters were added to the final electoral roll.
However, he alleged that the Election Commission had made information public for only 71.38 lakh of the 87.56 lakh Form 6 applications, leaving the remaining information undisclosed.
"...It is also correct that 87 lakh Form 6 applications were submitted. Of these, the names of 84 lakh 30 thousand new voters were added to the final voter list. However, out of 87 lakh 56 thousand applications, the Election Commission made information public for only 71 lakh 38 thousand Form 6 applications. The remaining information was not made public by the Election Commission," he said.
He further alleged that the BJP was preparing to carry out large-scale electoral irregularities because it was weakening among the public, reiterating his charge that the Election Commission was working under the ruling party's influence.
"...Once again, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to everyone whom Arvind has brought into the party for joining the Samajwadi Party and strengthening the PDA family. We are seeing that whenever the Bharatiya Janata Party begins losing public support and appears to be weakening among the people, it takes shelter behind the Election Commission. The Election Commission and the Bharatiya Janata Party are working together to deceive India's democracy, its Constitution and its citizens," he said. (ANI)
(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)