Akhilesh Yadav says "BJP will be forever defeated in UP", alleges electoral roll manipulation

Claiming that the BJP would be defeated in Uttar Pradesh, Yadav alleged that similar practices were used in West Bengal, where voters' names were removed from electoral rolls and central security forces were deployed to influence the election.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party will be forever defeated in UP. People from various states, several political parties, and especially the Opposition, raised questions about the SIR process, but the Election Commission had no answers. Look at the recent election in Bengal, where the Bharatiya Janata Party manipulated the entire process in its favour by using SIR and deploying central forces," Yadav said, addressing a press conference.

He further alleged that the removal of voters' names had forced even political leaders, including former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, to approach the courts. He also claimed that the Supreme Court had observed that those individuals were entitled to cast their votes.

"They first had voters' names removed from the electoral rolls; even political figures like Mamata Banerjee had to approach the courts because people were being denied their right to vote. Later, the Supreme Court observed that these votes should have been cast, as the individuals had the right to vote. Yet, hundreds of thousands of people were prevented from voting, while 300,000 central security personnel were deployed. They deployed 300,000 central security personnel and established a parallel administrative structure--an alternative system--to tilt the election in their favour," Yadav said.

Questioning the electoral revision process in Uttar Pradesh, Yadav alleged that attempts were made to remove voters' names through Form 7 and credited Samajwadi Party workers with preventing what he described as fraudulent practices.

"In Uttar Pradesh, attempts were made to strip away this right to vote through various procedures, including a conspiracy involving 'Form 7'. Samajwadi Party workers caught and stopped the fraudulent practices being carried out using 'Form 7'. As a result, the filing of 'Form 7' in Uttar Pradesh was stopped," he said.

Targeting the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his claim that 1.27 crore Hindu votes had been deleted, Yadav questioned how he had access to such information.

"UP CM has claimed that 1.27 crore Hindu votes were removed--the very same person who kept trying to scare the entire nation by invoking the issue of 'infiltrators.' He used the term 'infiltrators' because he wanted to cast doubt on many people, strip them of their right to vote, and defame them within society. How does the CM know that these Hindu votes are missing? It appears that the Election Commission has shared the entire list with the Chief Minister or his office," the SP chief said.

Yadav also referred to the Chief Minister's appeal to BJP workers to ensure that two crore names were added to the electoral rolls during Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit.

"When the Union Home Minister visited, the Chief Minister appealed to Bharatiya Janata Party workers to collectively ensure that 2 crore names are added to the electoral rolls. This is because he knows that 1.27 crore of their votes have been removed. This implies that approximately 31,000 votes are missing in every assembly constituency. We had merely appealed that the 27,000 votes--which were added--should be removed, and that the fraudulent votes favouring the Bharatiya Janata Party should also be struck off," he said.

"If we were to accept the BJP's claims, that amounts to a reduction of approximately 31,000 votes in each assembly constituency. This means they have effectively lost the election even before the voting has taken place," Yadav added.

The 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly is scheduled to go to polls in 2027. The Samajwadi Party has announced that it will release its 'Jan-Man Manifesto' for the elections on November 26, coinciding with Constitution Day. (ANI)