Akhilesh Yadav Alleges “Vote Theft” in 2022 UP Polls
SP chief raises Election Commission allegations in Raebareli and says the party will contest the 2027 polls in alliance
- Akhilesh Yadav alleged “vote theft” in the 2022 UP polls.
- SP said it will contest the 2027 election in an alliance.
- Seat-sharing, he said, will be based on “winnability”.
- PDA Rath campaign was launched from Raebareli.
GG News Bureau
Raebareli, 25th Sept: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday alleged that the Election Commission facilitated what he described as “vote theft” affecting the PDA bloc during the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, while announcing that the SP would contest the 2027 polls as part of an alliance.
Addressing a public meeting in Raebareli after arriving on the party’s newly launched PDA Rath, Yadav questioned the Election Commission’s credibility and alleged that irregularities in the 2022 election prevented the SP from forming the government in Uttar Pradesh. These allegations were made by Yadav in his political address; he did not cite a new Election Commission finding establishing the claim.
Yadav said the SP would contest the 2027 Assembly election in alliance, but did not specify the parties or a seat-sharing formula. He said seat allocation would be based on “winnability”, with seats going to those who can win them.
The remarks came as the SP formally began its PDA-focused outreach for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election from Raebareli, where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is the sitting Lok Sabha MP. The SP and Congress had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh together, winning 37 and six seats respectively, while the BJP won 33, according to election data.
PDA campaign
The PDA acronym, used by Yadav since 2023, refers to Pichhde (backward classes), Dalits and Alpsankhyak (minorities). The specially designed PDA Rath carries slogans centred on the social coalition and marks the beginning of the SP’s campaign outreach ahead of the 2027 polls.
Yadav also criticised the BJP over what he described as “bulldozer politics”, alleged demolition of religious structures and its position on the proposed Uniform Civil Code.
On employment, he said an SP government would increase government recruitment and end outsourcing where necessary. He also promised free treatment in hospitals, reopening of closed primary schools and restoration of the old pension scheme for government employees.
BJP response
The BJP criticised Yadav’s Raebareli visit, with party spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi describing it as an attempt by the SP to demonstrate its political strength in a Congress stronghold. The BJP also linked the visit to questions surrounding the future of the SP-Congress alliance in the 2027 election.
The SP-Congress alliance’s performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election has become a reference point in discussions over the two parties’ possible coordination for the next Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. Any future seat-sharing arrangement, however, remains to be finalised.
