NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of electoral malpractice in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council (MLC) elections, alleging that irregularities during counting were part of a conspiracy to defeat SP candidate Sanjayan Tripathi.In a post on X, Akhilesh alleged that BJP leaders, their associates and officials had colluded to manipulate the counting process. He claimed that the alleged treatment of Tripathi had angered teachers and members of his community, and vowed that the SP would fight “injustice and harassment.”“The corrupt BJP leaders, their conspiratorial associates and complicit officials have stooped to every possible low to win the MLC elections. The conspiracy to defeat Dr Sanjayan Tripathi has been exposed before everyone. The reason for defeating Dr Sanjayan Tripathi through vote-counting irregularities is not merely that he is an SP candidate; the main reason behind it is “Haata nahi bhaata” (he is not acceptable to them). In matters of politics, the BJP has sunk to the lowest depths. After such massive fraud, the public has realised that the BJP has, in fact, lost every seat,” he wrote.“BJP leaders win not through votes, but through foul means,” former UP CM added.Targeting the BJP over its alleged treatment of teachers, the SP chief said the incident had left a deep impression on Tripathi’s community and teachers across the state.“The way Sanjayan Tripathi has been harassed is being witnessed by his entire community. Neither his community nor any teacher in the state will forget Dr. Tripathi’s tears,” the SP chief said, alleging that teachers had received nothing but humiliation from the BJP government.Akhilesh also linked the controversy to the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, claiming that teachers would remember the alleged mistreatment when they vote.“Every teacher will always remember the despicable conspiracy to make teachers do the unwanted task of collecting fodder, and will fulfil their “guru resolve” by defeating the BJP in the 2027 assembly elections,” he wrote.Taking another swipe at the ruling party, Akhilesh said its alleged electoral tactics would not succeed across the state.“The BJP’s “400 BC” (a pun on char sau beesi, meaning fraud or deceit) will not work across all 403 seats,” he further said.Reiterating his support for Tripathi, the SP chief added, “We stand with Sanjayan Tripathi and against every injustice and act of harassment inflicted upon him and his community. We stand united against the BJP and will continue to do so.”
SP candidates allege irregularities in MLC counting
The remarks came amid allegations of irregularities during the counting of votes for the Gorakhpur-Faizabad Division Teachers’ constituency. SP candidate Sanjayan Tripathi and independent candidate Rajeev Yadav boycotted the counting process, accusing administrative officials and the election observer of favouring the BJP candidate.Speaking to news agency ANI, Tripathi alleged that the counting trend changed abruptly after the first three rounds, when independent candidate Rajeev Yadav was leading by around 450 votes.“We have boycotted the vote-counting process. Everything was proceeding smoothly for the first three rounds of counting; independent candidate Rajiv Yadav was leading by approximately 450 votes. Suddenly, the counting began to shift entirely in favour of the BJP candidate; the trend changed abruptly, making it appear as though the outcome had been predetermined. Consequently, we decided to boycott the process,” Tripathi said.He also alleged police misconduct and claimed that the authorities were determined to ensure the ruling party’s candidate won.A day earlier, Akhilesh had urged Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to take immediate cognisance of the alleged irregularities and ensure transparency in the counting process. He had accused officials of delaying the announcement of round-wise results and warned that the SP would launch a movement and file a case against the Election Commission if any foul play was detected.Similar allegations were raised by SP candidate Danish Akhtar over the results in the Bareilly-Moradabad Teachers’ constituency. Akhtar alleged irregularities in the electoral rolls and voting process, claiming that 30 per cent of the names on the electoral roll were fraudulent. He also accused the Election Commission of failing to act despite receiving evidence and repeated representations.
SP claims lead in Lucknow constituency
Meanwhile, in Lucknow, Ram Singh Rana, an SP agent for party candidate Kanti Singh, claimed on Wednesday that the party was maintaining its lead during counting. He alleged that BJP candidate Avnish Singh had repeatedly attempted to disrupt the process.“We have been steadily increasing our lead since yesterday, and it continues to grow. The opposition candidate from the BJP made several attempts to misuse power, but the Samajwadi youth did not bow down; they stood firm and remained unafraid–even when there were lathi-charges during the night, and chairs were smashed,” Rana said.
Rana alleged that the opposition had tried to halt the counting process four or five times and that SP workers had faced harassment throughout the night.“The opposition tried to halt the process four or five times, but no one gave in or felt intimidated. We have maintained our momentum and are moving toward victory. We faced harassment all night long. The opposition candidate, Avnish Singh, tried to stop the process five times, but we did not back down,” Rana said.Sharing the vote figures after four rounds of counting, Rana said Kanti Singh had secured 25,382 votes, while the BJP candidate had received 17,797 votes.“As the counting for the fifth round begins, the margin is significant, and we are continuing to pull further ahead,” he added.Polling for five Graduates’ constituencies and six Teachers’ constituencies in Uttar Pradesh concluded on October 23, with counting held on October 27.