Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 24 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Saturday accused the Samajwadi Party (SP) of making allegations over the MLC elections to cover up its impending defeat, asserting that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would win all 11 seats in the Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies.
Talking to ANI here, reacting to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's allegations regarding the elections.
Pathak stated, "The truth is that the Samajwadi Party senses its impending defeat and is therefore making these statements merely to save face. The BJP has secured the blessings of the voters by bringing all sections of society together. The BJP is winning all 11 seats in the Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies."
On the air show scheduled in Varanasi, Pathak expressed enthusiasm over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Uttar Pradesh, highlighting the significance of the event.
"Tomorrow, we will all welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi and express our gratitude for hosting such a grand event in Uttar Pradesh. This is a major defense-related event," he said.
The air show is expected to be a major event in the state, with Pathak expressing gratitude for its organisation in Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier in the day, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav called for the Election Commission of India (ECI) to look into the thousands of affidavits gathered by his party concerning alleged electoral malpractices and irregularities.
In a post on X, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister termed recent developments a "good start" and urged the poll body to act on the evidence compiled by the party.
"Well, that's a good start—now perhaps the Election Commission will also take cognizance of the thousands of affidavits we've gathered regarding electoral malpractices and scams," Yadav said.
The Samajwadi Party has consistently raised concerns regarding the transparency of the electoral process, frequently alleging voter suppression, administrative bias, and discrepancies during polling in recent elections.
The party leadership has claimed that it has documented these alleged irregularities through signed affidavits from affected voters and polling agents across various constituencies.
Earlier, on October 23, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of resorting to electoral malpractice in the MLC graduate and teacher constituency elections, alleging that the administration and corrupt officials were working together to prevent voters from exercising their franchise.
The Samajwadi Party chief asserted that the ruling party would lose despite the alleged irregularities.
Yadav claimed that teachers and graduate voters were angry with the ruling government in Uttar Pradesh and had voted against the BJP in significant numbers. He alleged that the ruling party, anticipating defeat in several districts, including Agra, Fatehpur, Etawah, Auraiya, Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad and Noida, had resorted to malpractice.
"Seeing their defeat—in Agra, Fatehpur, Etawah, Auraiya, Muzaffarnagar, and many other districts, including Ghaziabad and Noida—they resorted to rigging. They know that the public has caught on to their 'vote theft,' so the administration and corrupt officials have colluded to try to prevent people from casting their votes," Yadav told reporters.
Polling for key Legislative Council constituencies, including the Allahabad-Jhansi Division Graduates' and Gorakhpur-Faizabad Division Teachers' seats, concluded on Friday under multi-tier security arrangements. Counting of votes is scheduled for October 27. (ANI)
"SP making statements to save face ahead of MLC poll defeat": UP DyCM Brajesh Pathak
