Akhilesh Yadav mocked the BJP’s double engine slogan as a double zero ahead of the opposition’s Chalo Dilli rally, citing alleged vote counting irregularities and mass voter deletions in the recent Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections.
Akhilesh Yadav Attacks BJP Ahead of Chalo Dilli March
New Delhi [India], November 1 (ANI): Ahead of joining the opposition INDIA bloc’s ‘Chalo Dilli’ march at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party. Pointing to the recent Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council biennial election results, where the BJP won six seats and the SP secured five, Yadav mocked the ruling party’s “double engine” slogan, saying it had collapsed into a “double zero” and a “double defeat” following alleged counting irregularities and recounts in key constituencies.
Allegations of Voter Deletions and Election Irregularities
Taking direct aim at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the Election Commission of India (ECI), Yadav questioned the metrics behind the removal of millions of voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Akhilesh claimed that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has acknowledged that 1.27 crore (12.7 million) votes have decreased after the party’s loss in MLC elections. “The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh himself has admitted that 1.27 crore (12.7 million) votes have decreased. And when did he remember this? When they lost the MLC election. Those who used to boast about a ‘double engine’ ended up scoring a ‘double zero’ right there. And not just a double zero; alongside that double zero, they couldn’t even accept defeat the first time. They colluded with the Election Commission and got a recount done. So think about it: double engine, double zero, and a double defeat in the very same election! And after all that, what are they suddenly claiming? That 1.27 crore votes don’t belong to Hindus,” he told reporters.
The BJP won six of the 11 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council seats, while the Samajwadi Party secured five. The BJP won the Agra Graduates’, Bareilly-Moradabad Teachers’, Lucknow Teachers’, Meerut Teachers’, Meerut Graduates’ and Gorakhpur-Faizabad Teachers’ constituencies. The Samajwadi Party won the Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates’, Varanasi Teachers’ and Agra-Aligarh Teachers’ constituencies. “Where did they learn this from? Who provided this data? This isn’t data you randomly find lying on the street or something given by someone ordinary on the footpath,” he said.
Akhilesh also cited the alleged government claim that lakhs of scheme beneficiaries are missing from the voter list. “And what is the second allegation this government is making? That lakhs of government scheme beneficiaries don’t even have their votes listed! If that’s the case, it means they too should come to Ramlila Maidan, because this movement is against false promises (jumlas) and against injustice towards marginalized communities,” he said.
Opposition Rally for Democracy
The ‘Chalo Dilli’ rally follows the opposition’s public “mock impeachment” event targeting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, held a day prior at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence. Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee, Hemant Soren, Revanth Reddy and Tejashwi Yadav were also expected to attend. As leaders gathered for the mega rally at Ramlila Maidan, Congress MP Sanjana Jatav framed the event’s objective as safeguarding democracy and the Constitution. “Today, to protect our democratic Constitution, young people and women from across the country will gather at Ramlila Maidan. Along with Rahul Gandhi, all the MPs and the people stand united to safeguard our democracy and the Constitution,” she told ANI.
Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan said, “To amplify this message, 1 lakh people will march across every corner of Delhi—we will all be there. Regarding the event held yesterday at Khargeji’s residence, where we staged a mock impeachment—a resolution was passed, and people whose names were struck off the electoral rolls, effectively declaring them dead—stood up to speak.” Telangana Minister and former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin said that until CEC Gyanesh Kumar resigns, the issue of “vote theft” will remain, citing polls in West Bengal, Maharashtra and Bihar. “The issue of vote theft is a burning issue. It will remain so until Gyanesh Kumar resigns and the vote counts are reconciled… The elections held in Bengal, Maharashtra, and Bihar clearly indicate that votes were stolen… It is a national issue that affects everyone… Rahul Gandhi has taken a very strong, decisive stand on this,” he said. (ANI)
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