INDIA bloc will rise stronger: Akhilesh after poll setbacks

Speaking to the press in Agra on Sunday, Akhilesh Yadav said, “The INDIA alliance will strengthen further, and learning from defeat paves the way for the future.”

A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured victories in the Delhi Assembly elections and the Milkipur bypoll, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav asserted that these results would further strengthen the INDIA bloc. The SP had backed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, where AAP secured 22 seats.

Akhilesh calls for toll-free travel to Mahakumbh (Sourced)

Speaking to the press in Agra on Sunday, he said, “The INDIA alliance will strengthen further, and learning from defeat paves the way for the future.”

Commenting on the Milkipur bypoll, Akhilesh dismissed claims that the BJP’s victory in the Milkipur bypoll was a “revenge” for its defeat in Ayodhya. He asserted that a loss in Ayodhya will always remain a loss and cannot be “compensated” by a win elsewhere.

“We could have won Milkipur as well if the election had been fair,” he added. “What happened in Milkipur was not an election but a loot of democracy. PDA (Pichda, Dalits and alpsankhyak) voters are witnessing this closely. The outcome here cannot be equated with the loss in Ayodhya. Large-scale rigging took place, but such tactics won’t work across all 403 seats in the future,” he said.

“They might succeed in manipulating results at Milkipur, but they won’t be able to do this everywhere in the future,” he added.

Taking a jibe at the Election Commission, the BJP government, and Ayodhya administrative officials, the SP chief alleged massive irregularities. In a post on X, he remarked, “After these election results, the Election Commission should consider awarding certain individuals. One award should go to the person who exercised the ‘great right of voting’ not once but six times for the BJP in Milkipur. Another should be given to those who facilitated voting for deceased individuals and those who, despite proof of being elsewhere on polling day, still managed to vote.”

Akhilesh calls for toll-free travel to Mahakumbh

Shifting focus to the Mahakumbh, Akhilesh Yadav demanded toll-free access for vehicles heading to the religious gathering. “Tolls should be waived for vehicles travelling to Mahakumbh. This will ease travel hardships and reduce traffic congestion. If films can be made entertainment tax-free, why not allow toll-free travel for this grand festival?” he questioned.

The former chief minister also criticised the Uttar Pradesh government for failing to provide details of casualties from the recent Mahakumbh stampede. “If the government can count crores of people taking a dip at Mahakumbh, why is it struggling to provide a list of the dead and injured?” he questioned.