“Expectations in democracy should always thrive”: Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav expressed his gratitude towards the voters of Ayodhya for their support, attributing their victory in the seat to issues-based voting. He also commented on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) defeat in Uttar Pradesh and shared his views on government formation at the centre.

Addressing a press conference, Yadav said, “Lok Sabha Elections in Uttar Pradesh were issues-based, and the public of the state voted on their issues and problems, which led to the massive defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party.”

Regarding the unexpected defeat of the BJP in Ayodhya, Yadav stated, “BJP could have lost more seats in Uttar Pradesh. They have done atrocities on the public of Ayodhya. The process of land acquisition was manipulated, they made false allegations about people to grab their lands, and didn’t provide proper compensation. They have also done injustice to businessmen. I believe this is the main reason for the BJP’s defeat in Ayodhya. Also, I want to express my gratefulness towards the public of Ayodhya who voted in favor of the Samajwadi Party.”

Speaking about government formation at the centre, Yadav commented, “When a party doesn’t have a resounding majority, the formation of government relies on various factors. Sometimes, you need to gratify people to form a government, and the same type of efforts and decisions can be witnessed right now. I hope that in the future, people will stand with those who will work by keeping in mind the constitution and issues like reservation and corruption.”

Responding to speculations of the BJP-led NDA forming a government, Yadav said, “It’s good if they are forming the government. Oath ceremonies are always carried out. They have the numbers, that’s why the President has called them for an oath ceremony. After some time, if another party has the numbers, they can also form the government.”

Taking a jibe at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he said, “If he is heading towards Delhi, stop him right there and don’t send him back to Uttar Pradesh.”

Criticizing the Modi 2.0 government’s Agniveer Scheme, the SP chief said, “The Agniveer scheme should be scrapped with immediate effect, and the government should accept it as their mistake. Along with this, the government should look after the individuals and give age relaxation to the unemployed youths and those wanting to join the military forces.”

In a major setback to the BJP, it gained only 33 seats against 63 in the 2019 LS polls, with the vote share being 41.37 per cent. Some of the most-watched seats which the BJP lost include — Faizabad, Amethi, and Raebareli.

The Samajwadi Party, on the other hand, secured 37 seats by itself, thus witnessing a massive improvement in the state. The vote share of the SP stood at 33.59 per cent.

The BJP victory tally was much lower than its 2019 tally of 303 and the 282 seats it had won in 2014. The Congress, on the other hand, registered strong growth, winning 99 seats compared to 52 in 2019 and 44 in 2014.