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Tag: akhilesh yadav

  • Mata Prasad Pandey: Akhilesh Yadav Plays ‘BAP’ Card To Challenge Yogi’s Might After Success Of PDA Formula |

    Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is leaving no stone unturned to keep the BJP on the tenterhook ahead of the upcoming Assembly bypolls.  While Congress was leading the INDIA bloc, Yadav stuck to his PDA ideology – Pichhda, Dalits and Alpsankhyak (Backwards, Dalits, and Minorities) and led his party to a stunning victory against the BJP in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. After the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP scrambled to put together the missing pieces aiming to stage a comeback in the upcoming assembly bypolls for 10 seats. 

    After acing the PDA formula, Akhilesh Yadav has played another social engineering masterstroke aiming to lure the Brahmin voters who have been voting for the BJP and have played a crucial role in making Yogi Adityanath the Chief Minister for the second time. Uttar Pradesh has 12% Brahmins who mostly vote for the BJP. However, Akhilesh Yadav is well aware that the majority mark in the 2027 assembly polls cannot be acquired without the support from the upper castes including the Brahmins. Thus, Yadav played the ‘BAP’ – ‘Brahmin, Alpsankhyak and Pichhda’ – card which will echo in the Uttar Pradesh assembly challenging Yogi Adityanath’s might for the next three years until the 2027 assembly elections.

    Akhilesh Yadav appointed seasoned politician Mata Prasad Pandey as the Leader of the Opposition, thus indicating that his party is not averse to Brahmins. This shows that the Samajwadi Party is now focusing on caste equations to win the polls rather than focusing on the Yadavs and Muslims alone. This was evident in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls where the Samajwadi Party fielded only four Muslims and five Yadavs of the 62 Lok Sabha seats it contested. 

    The SP also appointed Kamaal Akhtar as the chief whip and Rakesh Kumar alias R K Verma as the deputy whip in the assembly. By making these appointments, Akhilesh Yadav played the ‘Brahmin, Alpsankhyak and Pichhda’ (BAP) card, thus sending a signal to the 12% vote bank that they are being keenly watched by the Samajwadi Party. 

    Who Is Mata Prasad Pandey?

    Mata Prasad Pandey is a seven-time MLA of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. Pandey, 82, replaces SP president Akhilesh Yadav, who resigned as MLA from Karhal seat in Mainpuri district after he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kannauj. Pandey, a Brahmin leader, has held the post of Uttar Pradesh Assembly speaker twice — 2004-2007 and 2012-2017. He was first elected as MLA in 1980 and then in 1985 and 1989. He served as state health minister between 1990 and 1991 in the then-chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav’s government. He was the labour and employment minister in Mulayam Singh Yadav’s government between 2002 and 2004.

  • BSP Should Join INDIA Bloc: Akhilesh Yadav’s Request To Mayawati’s Party In 2024 Polls |

    New Delhi: Samajwadi Party leader and candidate from Kannauj Lok Sabha seat Akhilesh Yadav urged the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to join the INDIA alliance to save the constitution. As the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls wrapped up on Monday, Yadav exaggerated that this time INDIA bloc is going to secure the victory and will surely form the government.

    “I would request the Bahujan Samaj (Party) to help the INDIA alliance to save the Constitution…The (INDIA) alliance will surely form the government,” he said.

    Yadav also hits out at the Modi-led government for discriminating against farmers, youth and businessmen for the last 10 years. He further claimed that the BJP will yearn for even 140 seats.

    “This government has discriminated against farmers, youth and businessmen for ten years. This election is to protect the Constitution… The public will make them yearn for even 140 seats,” Yadav said.

    Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and SP leader Akhilesh Yadav were forced to cut short the public meeting in Prayagraj’s Phulpur constituency on Sunday after the crowd broke the barricades. This incident created a stampede-like situation.

    After the incident, both the leaders of the INDIA Bloc left the rally without addressing the people of the Phulpur constituency. The campaign in Prayagraj was organised in support of SP candidate Amarnath Maurya contesting from the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat.

    The workers from both parties went out of control and attempted to reach the stage to get near the prominent leaders Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav. 

  • After Owaisi, Akhilesh Yadav To Visit Mukhtar Ansari’s Family; Know Arithmetic Behind Power-Tussle |

    Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav will be visiting the family of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari today. Ansari was cremated last month in his hometown Ghazipur. Since then, there has been political bickering over his death with the opposition parties demanding a probe and the government ordering it.  While AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi visited him this week, Akhilesh Yadav’s visit holds a significant space in the state’s political dynamics. Ansari’s brother Afzal Ansari is contesting the Lok Sabha polls on the Samajwadi Party ticket from Ghazipur. He is the sitting MP from the seat. However, Mukhtar Ansari’s influence is not limited to just one seat. 

    आज मुख्तार अंसारी के घर जाएंगे अखिलेश यादव#AkhileshYadav #SamajwadiParty #muktaransari #LokSabhaElections2024 | @priyasi90 @mayurshukla29 pic.twitter.com/jflGBosMba
    — Zee News (@ZeeNews) April 7, 2024

    Mukhtar Ansari And UP Politics

    According to reports, the political parties are trying to cash in on the resentment among Muslims after the death of Ansari. There are 28 districts in Purvanchal. It has a population of 83% Hindus and 17% Muslims. Of these, five districts have a greater Muslim population. These districts are- Balrampur with 37% Muslim Population, Bahraich 34%, Shrawasti 31%, Siddharthnagar 29% and 23%. Mukhtar Ansari’s popularity and fear were such in Purvanchal that he won elections from prison. Mukhtar Ansari has been a key factor in eight Lok Sabha seats in six districts. These are – two seats each in Ghazipur and Jaunpur, Mau, Azamgarh, Varanasi, and Mirzapur. 

    Samajwadi Party’s Purvanchal Bid

    By visiting Ansari, Akhilesh is looking to win over Muslim votes in an attempt to bag these seats. The BJP is looking to clean sweep Uttar Pradesh but the SP in alliance with Congress is not looking to sit back and just watch the game. It has planned to once again tap the M-Y (Muslim-Yadav) combination to defeat the BJP. 

    Vote Equation In Uttar Pradesh

    On these crucial seats, the M-Y combination has often emerged as a winning combination. On the eight seats of Purvanchal, there are 17% Muslims, and 13-14% Yadav and together they form around 31% of the votes. The BJP claims to have the support of 9-10% Brahmins, 6-7% Rajputs, 3-4% Rajbhars, 5-6% Kurmis and 4% Mauryas and these account for around 29-30% of voters. Then there are 20-21% SC voters. The swing in SC votes thus becomes crucial for winning.

  • Rajya Sabha Election 2024 Live Updates: Khela In Uttar Pradesh And Karnataka? 15 Seats Up For Grabs In 3 States |

    Rajya Sabha elections in three states are going to be held on Tuesday with 15 seats up for grabs in three states – Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh. The polls are anticipated to be highly competitive for three seats in two states governed by the Congress and one seat in Uttar Pradesh. Due to the fear of cross-voting in Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, the Congress and Samajwadi Party are keeping a close eye on their MLAs. 

    Resort Politics In Karnataka

    Ruling Congress in Karnataka has relocated its MLAs to a hotel to safeguard them from external pressures. On Monday, the Congress shifted all its MLAs to a hotel, marking the beginning of the state’s trademark resort politics. All parties have issued whips to their MLAs ahead of today’s election. On Monday, Janardhan Reddy, Karnataka MLA and chief of Kalyana Karnataka Pragati Paksha, met CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar after he announced his support for Congress in the Rajya Sabha election. This further solidifies Congress’s winning chances. 

    While the Congress had a smooth path in securing four of Karnataka’s three seats due to its numerical strength, the BJP-Janata Dal Secular alliance complicated matters by nominating a second candidate. If there were four candidates, each would need 45 votes to win; however, in the case of additional candidates, preference votes would come into play. The Congress with 135 MLAs has the exact number to elect its three candidates, Ajay Maken, Nasir Hussain and G C Chandrashekhar.

    The entry of multi-millionaire real estate baron, D Kupendra Reddy, a Janata Dal (Secular)-BJP candidate has turned the elections to the fourth seat into a keen contest. Reddy, who declared Rs 1,200 crore assets in his election affidavit, has been fielded by the JD(S)-BJP combine. Reddy is confident that he will get the votes to win the election. Earlier, the Congress has complained that MLAs are being blackmailed to vote for Kupendra Reddy. A Congress delegation filed a complaint with the Bengaluru Police Commissioner. The BJP has 66 MLAs, which means it can easily get its main candidate, party worker Narayansa Bhandage, elected. Combined with the 19 JD(S) MLAs, the BJP-JDs second candidate Kupendra Reddy will need to get support of three Independents and get at least three Congress MLAs to cross-vote if he wants to win.

    Khela In Uttar Pradesh

    In Uttar Pradesh, the cross-voting fear has gripped the Samajwadi Party but the leading opposition party has maintained that all is well. According to Zee News TV sources, 8 to 10 of the Samajwadi Party MLAs may vote for the BJP alliance. The ruling BJP and SP had sufficient support to secure the unopposed election of seven and three members to the Rajya Sabha, respectively. However, the BJP escalated the competition by nominating Sanjay Seth, a former SP member and industrialist, as its eighth candidate. To secure an election, a candidate from the state requires approximately 37 first-preference votes.

    Ahead of voting, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav hoped that all three candidates of his party will win despite the BJP’s tactics. “BJP will do everything possible for victory. Some of our leaders who want personal gains can go to the BJP,” said Yadav expressing apprehension of the cross-voting.

    The SP has put forward Jaya Bachchan, an actor-MP, retired IAS officer Alok Ranjan, and Dalit leader Ramji Lal Suman. This decision has reportedly caused a rift with ally Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) leader Pallavi Patel, who expressed disagreement with the choice of Bachchan and Ranjan and stated she would abstain from voting.

    Congress’s Whip To MLAs In Himachal 

    In Himachal Pradesh, the actions taken were not as extreme as in Karnataka. The party has warned its MLAs about the election of its lone Rajya Sabha seat.  The focal point of the Congress’ contest in the state is its senior leader, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, pitted against the BJP’s core committee member, Harsh Mahajan. The Congress enjoys a clear majority with 40 MLAs, while the BJP has 25 members. Three MLAs, including two BJP rebels, identify as independents. Sources indicate that the BJP is currently seeking to woo dissatisfied Congress MLAs. 

    41 MPs Elected Unopposed

    Elections were due for 56 Rajya Sabha seats but since 41 leaders were elected unopposed including former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, BJP chief JP Nadda, Ashok Chavan, Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and L Murugan, the elections are being held for 15 seats in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh.

  • Farmers, Youth In Distress Under BJP Rule: Akhilesh Yadav`s Big Attack On Modi Govt

    Akhilesh Yadav accused BJP of  BJP of orchestrating corruption and electoral malpractices and said part’s agenda revolves around vote bank politics.

  • Priyanka Gandhi Hospitalised, Skips Rahul-Led Nyay Yatra As It Enters Uttar Pradesh Today |

    New Delhi: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will not be joining the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Uttar Pradesh on Friday to bad health conditions. “I was eagerly waiting for the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra to reach Uttar Pradesh, but due to illness I had to be admitted to the hospital today itself,” the leader informed via X (formerly Twitter). The Yatra is currently in Bihar and is scheduled to reach Chandauli in UP after concluding the halt in Bihar. UP is the crucial Hindi state that elects the most MPs to the Lok Sabha. 

    Gandhi further wrote that she will be joining the journey as soon as she feels better. “Till then, I wish all the passengers reaching Chandauli-Banaras, my colleagues and dear brother from Uttar Pradesh who are diligently preparing for the journey,” she added. 

    मैं बड़े चाव से उत्तर प्रदेश में भारत जोड़ो न्याय यात्रा के पहुँचने का इंतजार कर रही थी, लेकिन बीमारी की वजह से मुझे आज ही अस्पताल में भर्ती होना पड़ा। थोड़ा बेहतर होते ही मैं यात्रा में जुड़ूँगी। तब तक के लिए चंदौली-बनारस पहुंच रहे सभी यात्रियों, पूरी मेहनत से यात्रा की तैयारी…
    — Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) February 16, 2024

    Nyay Yatra’s Route Not Shortened In UP: Cong

    Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that the yatra has not been shortened in Uttar Pradesh as it will stay in the key Hindi state for eight days from 16th to 21st February before continuing to western Uttar Pradesh on 24th and 25th February.  Earlier, UPCC chief Ajay Rai had notified that the UP leg of Nyay Yatra has been revised and reduced due to the ongoing UP Board exams.

    Rai said that the changes were made due to logistical issues. He said that the places where the workers and organisers were supposed to stay are mostly private schools or colleges which will now be used for the board exams. 

    The omission of western UP from Rahul’s itinerary is important as it comes after RLD broke away from INDIA bloc. The Congress has a very weak presence in western UP and the party does not have any influential leader in the region. A senior leader said that they do not want to give an impression that Rahul’s presence in a certain area did not help them win seats.

    Rahul Gandhi, the former head of Congress, is spearheading the Nyay Yatra from Manipur to Mumbai. The yatra is now in Bihar. The Manipur-Mumbai Yatra from East to West covers 6,700 km across 15 states and aims to spread the message of “nyay” (justice) while interacting with ordinary people along the way.

  • UP Legislators To Visit Ayodhya Ram Temple Today, SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav To Skip

    The speaker of the House invited Akhilesh Yadav to join them in Ayodhya during a budget discussion on Saturday, but the opposition leader said he would only go when Lord Shri Ram called him. 

  • IIT-BHU Gangrape Case: 3 Accused Arrested After Two Months; Akhilesh Yadav Says Culprits Belong to BJP |

    Samajwadi Party chief and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav today slammed the BJP government accusing it of protecting the rapists. In a post on ‘X’, Yadav said that the police arrested the accused only due to pressure from the public. He said that BJP is playing with ‘Nari Samman’.

    “These are the new crop of BJP workers who are growing and roaming openly under the patronage of senior BJP leaders, whose search was going on under the ‘so-called zero-tolerance government’, but under the pressure of solid evidence and growing anger among the public, the BJP government finally arrested these criminals. These are the same BJP members who had crossed all limits of indecency with a BHU student,” said Yadav.

    ये हैं भाजपा के दिग्गज नेताओं की छत्रछाया में सरेआम पनपते और घूमते भाजपाइयों की वो नयी फसल, जिनकी ‘तथाकथित ज़ीरो टॉलरेंस सरकार’ में दिखावटी तलाश जारी थी लेकिन पुख़्ता सबूतों और जनता के बीच बढ़ते गुस्से के दबाव में भाजपा सरकार को आख़िरकार इन दुष्कर्मियों को गिरफ़्तार करना ही… pic.twitter.com/VgVJFZBPUO
    — Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) December 31, 2023

    He further said, “Every woman across the country is seeing how BJP is playing arbitrarily with women’s dignity and is protecting those accused of atrocities, harassment and rape. Women will not give even a single vote to BJP in the upcoming elections. Women will be the reason for BJP’s defeat. The truth of BJP is in front of the public today.”

    Earlier today, the Varanasi police arrested the three accused two months after the incident. According to the in-charge of Lanka police station Shivakant Mishra, the accused have been identified as Kunal Pandey, Anand alias Abhishek Chauhan and Saksham Patel.

    The alleged incident of rape took place on November 1 when the complainant had gone out of her hostel with a friend when three men on a motorcycle forcibly took her to a corner. The complainant said that the accused allegedly stripped her, made a video, took photos and let her go after about 15 minutes. An FIR has already been registered in the matter. (With Agency Inputs)

  • Akhilesh Yadav will contest elections in 2024 on the issue of ‘PDA’, now question over remaining in INDIA alliance!

    New Delhi:

    Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav has made it clear by sharing a post on social media that he will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on the issue of PDA. He has not made any mention of the opposition alliance INDIA in his recent tweet, due to which questions have been raised about his continuation in the alliance. In fact, amid the spat with Congress, questions are being raised on SP’s relations with the INDIA group. By sharing a post on social media, Akhilesh Yadav has hinted at contesting the 2024 elections on the issue of ‘PDA’. After this post, speculations have started about his leaving INDIA alliance and returning back to the old issue.

    Also read-Congress should tell whether it will form an alliance with SP or not: Akhilesh Yadav

    ‘PDA will win in 2024 Lok Sabha elections’

    Akhilesh Yadav shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday and shared a picture of an SP worker, whose back is painted in the red and green colors of the party. It is written in Hindi on it, “Mission 2024, long live Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav). ‘PDA’ will ensure that Akhilesh Yadav wins this election. Akhilesh Yadav will ensure that the poor get justice.”

    SP’s tussle with Congress over seats

    Tension has arisen in the relations between Samajwadi Party and Congress. In fact, Congress had reportedly assured SP that it would consider its candidates for six constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, but still it did not leave a single seat for its ally SP. Because of which Akhilesh Yadav has expressed his displeasure. Since then he has been continuously targeting Congress. For the assembly elections to be held on November 7 in Madhya Pradesh, both the parties have fielded candidates against each other on 18 seats.

    ‘PDA will defeat NDA alliance’

    PDA means backward, dalit and minority. Akhilesh Yadav is emphasizing that the PDA will defeat the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In his post on Twitter, Akhilesh Yadav wrote, “2024 elections will be a revolution of PDA.” Let us tell you that after the list of Congress candidates for Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections was released on Thursday, Akhilesh Yadav had accused Congress of “fooling” other parties. He even hinted that if the Samajwadi Party had known that the alliance did not work at the state level, then it would not have been so open to the INDIA faction.

    Question on Akhilesh’s continuation in INDIA alliance

    Akhilesh said that Congress had assured to consider six seats. But while announcing the candidates he did not even think about SP. If he had known that there was no alliance between them in the state, he would not have talked to Congress about it. At the same time, when Madhya Pradesh Congress President Kamal Nath was asked about this, he shrugged it off by saying, “Hey brother, leave it Akhilesh Vakhilesh…” The state unit of Congress had emphasized that the INDIA alliance is at the central level. And his focus is on Lok Sabha elections.

    Also read: If Congress behaves like this then who will stand with it: Akhilesh Yadav

  • Akhilesh Yadav scolds Congress for not getting even a single seat in MP assembly elections

    Akhilesh Yadav scolds Congress for not getting even a single seat in MP assembly elections

    The SP chief said that if he had known that the ‘India’ alliance was only for the national level, his party leaders would not have picked up Congress’s call to attend the Madhya Pradesh meeting.

    Lucknow:

    Angered by Congress not giving even a single seat in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav indicated on Thursday that the same treatment can be given to Congress in Uttar Pradesh.
    The SP President said in a sharp tone that the Congress leadership should not allow its ‘small leaders’ to comment about their party. Due to his comment, cracks have started appearing in the opposition alliance ‘India’.

    The SP chief said that if he had known that the ‘India’ alliance was only for the national level, his party leaders would not have picked up Congress’s call to attend the Madhya Pradesh meeting. “I was confused,” he said sarcastically in Sitapur. Yadav said that if this alliance is only for parliamentary elections, then his party accepts it, but he indicated that when the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are held, If there is discussion on seat distribution in Uttar Pradesh then it will be difficult for Congress.

    Akhilesh Yadav said, “If the alliance in Uttar Pradesh is only for the Centre, then it will be discussed at that time and the way Samajwadi Party was treated, they will also see the same treatment here.” Upcoming Madhya Pradesh Regarding the elections, he said, “If I had known on the first day that there would be no alliance at the assembly level, our party leaders would not have gone to the meetings. We would not have given him the list (of which and how many seats the SP wants to contest in Madhya Pradesh), nor would we have picked up his call.

    Samajwadi Party on Wednesday announced the names of its 22 more candidates for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections. The party has so far announced its candidates for a total of 31 seats. When asked why SP did this, Yadav said, “If there is no alliance at the state level, we accept it and declare our party’s candidates.” What have we done wrong in this?

    The SP chief said that during the meeting with Congress leaders that lasted till 1 am, the SP leaders handed over to him the details related to the party’s performance in the last elections in Madhya Pradesh. He claimed that Congress leaders had said that they were considering giving six seats to SP as per the seat sharing agreement in that state but they did not give even a single seat. In the 2018 assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, SP Won one seat and stood second on five seats. It had formed an alliance with the Adivasi Gondwana Gantantra Party and secured 1.30 percent votes.