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Speaking to reporters after party candidate Tej Pratap Yadav filed his nomination for the bypoll in his presence, Akhilesh Yadav said the people of Karhal and Mainpuri have always supported the SP and its founder late Mulayam Singh Yadav, and the coming election will be no different.
The bypoll in Karhal has been necessitated after sitting MLA Akhilesh Yadav resigned following his election as an MP from Kannauj in June this year.
“Karhal has always given historic victories to the Samajwadi Party. This time our candidate will win with an even bigger margin,” he said.
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“Tej Pratap will script a historic victory in Karhal,” Yadav said.
The SP chief also dismissed any challenge from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying the “PDA family” representing the “pichre” (backward classes), Dalit and “alpashankhak” (minority) would ensure his party’s success.
“The BJP can field any candidate but the PDA family is united and will deliver a historic win for the SP,” he claimed.
Accusing the BJP of discrimination and injustice towards these groups, Yadav said, “The BJP government has given nothing but unemployment, inflation, and rising crime, which have made life difficult for the common people,” he said.
The SP chief also accused the BJP of not following the Constitution of B R Ambedkar, saying his party has raised these concerns in the Parliament.
“We opposed such discrimination during the Lok Sabha polls. Some of their policies may have slowed down but their intent is clear,” Yadav said.
Accusing the BJP of being involved in corrupt practices, the SP chief said, “They are not enrolling people in the name of membership drive, but are instead indulging in land-grabbing, looting, and other atrocities. Corruption has taken hold of the state under BJP rule.” Referring to the recent communal violence in Bahraich, Yadav accused the BJP of deliberately inciting riots to divide people ahead of the elections.
“The BJP orchestrated the Bahraich riots to create divisions (among people). I applaud the media for bringing the truth to light and showing what the administration and police were doing there. Why proper security arrangements were not made,” he questioned.
Responding to a query on the arrests made in the Bahraich case, Yadav said, “The police may arrest anyone but the courts will ensure justice.” Karhal is just 4 km from Yadav’s native village Saifai in Etawah district. The constituency forms part of his wife Dimple Yadav’s Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat.
The seat has been a stronghold of the SP since 1993. In the 2002 Assembly elections, BJP’s Sobaran Singh Yadav won from Karhal but he later joined the SP.