Akhilesh accuses BJP of stealing votes, misusing power

Lucknow, Aug 22 (PTI) Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday accused the BJP of misusing power to steal votes, alleging irregularities even in the recent bypolls in Uttar Pradesh.

Addressing party leaders and workers from various districts at the SP headquarters here, Yadav said, "From enrolment of voters to casting and counting of votes, people must remain vigilant if democracy is to survive." The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also accused the BJP of deliberately deleting the votes of the poor.

"When the SP raised the issue of wrongful deletions in 2022, the Election Commission sent us a notice. We submitted a list of 18,000 deleted names with affidavits but no action was taken.

"Later, when the matter of voter deletions was raised, the chief election commissioner claimed no affidavits were received. But the SP has receipts for every affidavit," Yadav claimed.

People have seen through the BJP's "truth" and are determined to remove it from power, he claimed.

"It is the poor who will uproot the BJP," Yadav said.

The SP chief also alleged corruption in the BJP government, saying farmers are struggling to get fertilisers due to a "huge fertiliser scam".

"Even women are forced to stand in queues for fertiliser but instead of providing it, the government is lathi-charging them," he claimed.

Yadav also alleged large-scale irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission, saying water tanks built under the scheme are collapsing due to corruption.

"The BJP government has ruined the education system by shutting down schools, which were never reopened. The law and order has also collapsed with rising incidents of murder, loot and rape. No one feels safe (in Uttar Pradesh)," Yadav said.

He also dismissed the BJP's plantation drives as "completely fake", alleging that figures were manipulated.

"The BJP government has destroyed the entire system. Order will be restored only when the Samajwadi Party returns to power," Yadav said. PTI KIS ARI