'Remains intact': Akhilesh Yadav claims INDIA bloc unity; says Samajwadi Party will fight 2027 UP polls within alliance
Akhilesh Yadav (PTI photo)
NEW DELHI:
Samajwadi Party
(SP) chief
Akhilesh Yadav
on Tuesday reaffirmed that the opposition INDIA bloc "remains united" and announced that his party would contest the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections as part of the anti-BJP bloc.
Speaking to reporters, Yadav dismissed recent remarks that questioned the cohesion of the INDIA bloc.
"I have nothing to do with the statement given by anyone. Our INDIA alliance is intact. Those who want to leave the INDIA alliance can go," Akhilesh Yadav was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
His comments came in response to Congress MP Imran Masood's statement that the Congress is not a "beggar" seeking seats from the Samajwadi Party.
Both parties are key members of the INDIA coalition, which was formed ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to challenge the all-dominant BJP.
Yadav made it clear that the SP would remain committed to the alliance in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh polls. The SP-Congress partnership in Uttar Pradesh proved to be a successful combination in the 2024 general elections, with the two parties together securing 43 out of the state's 80 Lok Sabha seats.
Taking a swipe at Uttar Pradesh chief minsiter Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya, Akhilesh said internal friction is becoming evident within the state's "double-engine" BJP government.
"In a place like Kaushambi, the two deputy CMs have spoiled the atmosphere, they are not letting anyone get justice...they do not want any PDA (
Pichhda, Dalit, Alpasankhyak
) family to get justice," he alleged, without providing further details about the situation in Kaushambi.
Yadav reiterated his party's support for a caste-based census. "If the government of the 'samajwadis' is formed, we will get the census done in three months. Today, there is technology, today there are resources, and things can be done in less time," he said.
Yadav, a former UP chief minister, also said the SP is gearing up for the panchayat elections expected to take place in the state early next year.
He alleged that the BJP is manipulating the upcoming panchayat polls by attempting to increase the number of gram panchayats to complicate vote dynamics. "There are about 52,000 gram panchayats right now. They (BJP) are thinking about increasing the numbers, so that our votes get messed up," he claimed.
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