Tag: Mainpuri bypoll

  • UP: Dimple Yadav takes over Mulyam’s legacy with thumping victory in Mainpuri bypoll

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party candidate Dimple Yadav on Thursday won the Mainpuri parliamentary bypoll defeating her nearest rival Raghuraj Singh Shakya of BJP by a margin of 2,88,461 votes.

    Considered SP’s bastion, the seat was held by party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and it got vacated after his death on October 10.

    Accompanied by her husband and party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple received her certificate from returning officer here.

    In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Mulayam Singh Yadav won the Mainpuri seat by defeating BJP candidate Prem Singh Shakya with a margin of over 94,000 votes.

    The SP had contested the 2019 elections with the BSP.

    Dimple Yadav’s margin of victory is more than that of her father-in-law showcasing Mainpuri constituents’ faith in ‘Netaji’ (Mulayam) and the development work carried out by him.

    BJP candidate Shakya even lost in his Daulpur booth by 187 votes.

    While Dimple Yadav secured 6,18,120 votes (64.08 per cent), Shakya received 3,29,659 votes (34.18 per cent).

    Taking a lesson from SP’s defeat in Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha bypolls in June this year in which the SP chief had not campaigned, Akhilesh Yadav stayed put in Mainpuri crisscrossing the constituency to mobilise support for his wife.

    He moved out of Mainpuri only once during the campaign period to address a rally with Azam Khan in Rampur.

    In pursuance of its claim of winning all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP in the 2024 general elections, the BJP was eyeing to win the Mainpuri by-election to gain big momentum.

    The saffron party had fielded Raghuraj Shakya, once considered close to Shivpal Yadav, hoping the PSPL chief’s backing in view of his distance with Akhilesh Yadav.

    But, Shivpal Yadav’s reunion with the SP chief and his campaigning for Dimple Yadav poured cold water on the ruling party’s game plan.

    Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in his election meeting had made a scathing attack on Shivpal Yadav, likening him to a pendulum and football.

    Shivpal Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav had retorted to the attack.

    Mulayam Singh Yadav still holds the record for winning the election from the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat by the maximum number of votes.

    In the 2014 elections, the SP founder defeated his nearest rival Shatrughan Singh Chauhan of the BJP by a margin of 3,64,666 votes.

    Before this, Mulayam Singh had won the Lok Sabha elections in 2004 by more than 3 lakh votes when he defeated his nearest rival Ashok Shakya of the BJP.

    In 2014, Mulayam Singh had won the Lok Sabha elections from both Mainpuri and Azamgarh seats.

    He later vacated the Mainpuri seat, which was won by his grandson Tej Pratap Singh Yadav by more than three lakh votes in the by-election.

    The Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat comprises Karhal and Jaswantnagar assembly seats represented by Akhilesh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav, respectively.

    LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party candidate Dimple Yadav on Thursday won the Mainpuri parliamentary bypoll defeating her nearest rival Raghuraj Singh Shakya of BJP by a margin of 2,88,461 votes.

    Considered SP’s bastion, the seat was held by party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and it got vacated after his death on October 10.

    Accompanied by her husband and party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple received her certificate from returning officer here.

    In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Mulayam Singh Yadav won the Mainpuri seat by defeating BJP candidate Prem Singh Shakya with a margin of over 94,000 votes.

    The SP had contested the 2019 elections with the BSP.

    Dimple Yadav’s margin of victory is more than that of her father-in-law showcasing Mainpuri constituents’ faith in ‘Netaji’ (Mulayam) and the development work carried out by him.

    BJP candidate Shakya even lost in his Daulpur booth by 187 votes.

    While Dimple Yadav secured 6,18,120 votes (64.08 per cent), Shakya received 3,29,659 votes (34.18 per cent).

    Taking a lesson from SP’s defeat in Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha bypolls in June this year in which the SP chief had not campaigned, Akhilesh Yadav stayed put in Mainpuri crisscrossing the constituency to mobilise support for his wife.

    He moved out of Mainpuri only once during the campaign period to address a rally with Azam Khan in Rampur.

    In pursuance of its claim of winning all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP in the 2024 general elections, the BJP was eyeing to win the Mainpuri by-election to gain big momentum.

    The saffron party had fielded Raghuraj Shakya, once considered close to Shivpal Yadav, hoping the PSPL chief’s backing in view of his distance with Akhilesh Yadav.

    But, Shivpal Yadav’s reunion with the SP chief and his campaigning for Dimple Yadav poured cold water on the ruling party’s game plan.

    Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in his election meeting had made a scathing attack on Shivpal Yadav, likening him to a pendulum and football.

    Shivpal Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav had retorted to the attack.

    Mulayam Singh Yadav still holds the record for winning the election from the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat by the maximum number of votes.

    In the 2014 elections, the SP founder defeated his nearest rival Shatrughan Singh Chauhan of the BJP by a margin of 3,64,666 votes.

    Before this, Mulayam Singh had won the Lok Sabha elections in 2004 by more than 3 lakh votes when he defeated his nearest rival Ashok Shakya of the BJP.

    In 2014, Mulayam Singh had won the Lok Sabha elections from both Mainpuri and Azamgarh seats.

    He later vacated the Mainpuri seat, which was won by his grandson Tej Pratap Singh Yadav by more than three lakh votes in the by-election.

    The Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat comprises Karhal and Jaswantnagar assembly seats represented by Akhilesh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav, respectively.

  • UP: Dimple Yadav takes over Mulayam’s legacy with thumping victory in Mainpuri bypoll

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party candidate Dimple Yadav on Thursday won the Mainpuri parliamentary bypoll defeating her nearest rival Raghuraj Singh Shakya of BJP by a margin of 2,88,461 votes.

    Considered SP’s bastion, the seat was held by party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and it got vacated after his death on October 10.

    Accompanied by her husband and party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple received her certificate from returning officer here.

    In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Mulayam Singh Yadav won the Mainpuri seat by defeating BJP candidate Prem Singh Shakya with a margin of over 94,000 votes.

    The SP had contested the 2019 elections with the BSP.

    Dimple Yadav’s margin of victory is more than that of her father-in-law showcasing Mainpuri constituents’ faith in ‘Netaji’ (Mulayam) and the development work carried out by him.

    BJP candidate Shakya even lost in his Daulpur booth by 187 votes.

    While Dimple Yadav secured 6,18,120 votes (64.08 per cent), Shakya received 3,29,659 votes (34.18 per cent).

    Taking a lesson from SP’s defeat in Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha bypolls in June this year in which the SP chief had not campaigned, Akhilesh Yadav stayed put in Mainpuri crisscrossing the constituency to mobilise support for his wife.

    He moved out of Mainpuri only once during the campaign period to address a rally with Azam Khan in Rampur.

    In pursuance of its claim of winning all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP in the 2024 general elections, the BJP was eyeing to win the Mainpuri by-election to gain big momentum.

    The saffron party had fielded Raghuraj Shakya, once considered close to Shivpal Yadav, hoping the PSPL chief’s backing in view of his distance with Akhilesh Yadav.

    But, Shivpal Yadav’s reunion with the SP chief and his campaigning for Dimple Yadav poured cold water on the ruling party’s game plan.

    Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in his election meeting had made a scathing attack on Shivpal Yadav, likening him to a pendulum and football.

    Shivpal Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav had retorted to the attack.

    Mulayam Singh Yadav still holds the record for winning the election from the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat by the maximum number of votes.

    In the 2014 elections, the SP founder defeated his nearest rival Shatrughan Singh Chauhan of the BJP by a margin of 3,64,666 votes.

    Before this, Mulayam Singh had won the Lok Sabha elections in 2004 by more than 3 lakh votes when he defeated his nearest rival Ashok Shakya of the BJP.

    In 2014, Mulayam Singh had won the Lok Sabha elections from both Mainpuri and Azamgarh seats.

    He later vacated the Mainpuri seat, which was won by his grandson Tej Pratap Singh Yadav by more than three lakh votes in the by-election.

    The Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat comprises Karhal and Jaswantnagar assembly seats represented by Akhilesh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav, respectively.

    LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party candidate Dimple Yadav on Thursday won the Mainpuri parliamentary bypoll defeating her nearest rival Raghuraj Singh Shakya of BJP by a margin of 2,88,461 votes.

    Considered SP’s bastion, the seat was held by party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and it got vacated after his death on October 10.

    Accompanied by her husband and party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple received her certificate from returning officer here.

    In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Mulayam Singh Yadav won the Mainpuri seat by defeating BJP candidate Prem Singh Shakya with a margin of over 94,000 votes.

    The SP had contested the 2019 elections with the BSP.

    Dimple Yadav’s margin of victory is more than that of her father-in-law showcasing Mainpuri constituents’ faith in ‘Netaji’ (Mulayam) and the development work carried out by him.

    BJP candidate Shakya even lost in his Daulpur booth by 187 votes.

    While Dimple Yadav secured 6,18,120 votes (64.08 per cent), Shakya received 3,29,659 votes (34.18 per cent).

    Taking a lesson from SP’s defeat in Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha bypolls in June this year in which the SP chief had not campaigned, Akhilesh Yadav stayed put in Mainpuri crisscrossing the constituency to mobilise support for his wife.

    He moved out of Mainpuri only once during the campaign period to address a rally with Azam Khan in Rampur.

    In pursuance of its claim of winning all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP in the 2024 general elections, the BJP was eyeing to win the Mainpuri by-election to gain big momentum.

    The saffron party had fielded Raghuraj Shakya, once considered close to Shivpal Yadav, hoping the PSPL chief’s backing in view of his distance with Akhilesh Yadav.

    But, Shivpal Yadav’s reunion with the SP chief and his campaigning for Dimple Yadav poured cold water on the ruling party’s game plan.

    Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in his election meeting had made a scathing attack on Shivpal Yadav, likening him to a pendulum and football.

    Shivpal Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav had retorted to the attack.

    Mulayam Singh Yadav still holds the record for winning the election from the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat by the maximum number of votes.

    In the 2014 elections, the SP founder defeated his nearest rival Shatrughan Singh Chauhan of the BJP by a margin of 3,64,666 votes.

    Before this, Mulayam Singh had won the Lok Sabha elections in 2004 by more than 3 lakh votes when he defeated his nearest rival Ashok Shakya of the BJP.

    In 2014, Mulayam Singh had won the Lok Sabha elections from both Mainpuri and Azamgarh seats.

    He later vacated the Mainpuri seat, which was won by his grandson Tej Pratap Singh Yadav by more than three lakh votes in the by-election.

    The Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat comprises Karhal and Jaswantnagar assembly seats represented by Akhilesh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav, respectively.

  • UP: Azam Khan booked for ‘unborn kids’ remarks at Rampur bypoll campaign

    By Online Desk

    RAMPUR: The Uttar Pradesh police on Friday booked Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan over an alleged offensive remark made while campaigning for the bypoll election for the Rampur seat in Uttar Pradesh. A probe has been launched too.

    A woman named Shehnaaz Begum submitted to the police an audio file of the public meeting at Shuta Khana.

    According to the complainant, Azam Khan had in the meeting said, “I was a minister in the last four terms of the SP government and if I would have used the power like this then unborn kids would ask their mothers if they had my permission to take birth.”

    Based on the woman’s complaint, the Ganj police have booked Khan under Section 394(b), 354 A, 353 (A), 504, 505 (2), 509 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act.

    Azam Khan allegedly made the statement while campaigning in support of the SP candidate Asim Raja in the upcoming bypolls of the Rampur Assembly Seat.

    Several women offended by Khan’s statement had lodged a complaint against him with the recorded audio, police said.

    ALSO READ | You will neither become CM, nor be able to make anyone CM: Keshav Maurya to Akhilesh Yadav

    SP chief Akhilesh Yadav who was campaigning along with Azam Khan said, “You get us this seat and you will see that in 2024, the BJP will not be able to save its government.

    ” “This election is not of Rampur alone.

    It is the election to bring the (SP) back in power (in future).

    This is the election for the injustices meted out to Azam Khan.

    “There is SP on one side and on the other side there are those who do injustice, humiliate and lodge fake cases,” he said.

    Rampur will go to polls on December 5 along with Mainpuri, a seat which fell vacant after SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav died on October 10.

    The Rampur Assembly seat had fell vacant after the Rampur District Court sentenced Azam Khan to three years in prison in a 2019 hate speech case over his comments against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He was later granted bail and given a week’s time to appeal against the sentence.

    He eventually lost his Assembly membership since his prison term was longer than two years.

    Azam Khan began his political career by winning the 1980 assembly election on Janata Party (Secular) ticket from Rampur. He has served as a minister in both Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav governments.

    (With ANI inputs)

    RAMPUR: The Uttar Pradesh police on Friday booked Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan over an alleged offensive remark made while campaigning for the bypoll election for the Rampur seat in Uttar Pradesh. A probe has been launched too.

    A woman named Shehnaaz Begum submitted to the police an audio file of the public meeting at Shuta Khana.

    According to the complainant, Azam Khan had in the meeting said, “I was a minister in the last four terms of the SP government and if I would have used the power like this then unborn kids would ask their mothers if they had my permission to take birth.”

    Based on the woman’s complaint, the Ganj police have booked Khan under Section 394(b), 354 A, 353 (A), 504, 505 (2), 509 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act.

    Azam Khan allegedly made the statement while campaigning in support of the SP candidate Asim Raja in the upcoming bypolls of the Rampur Assembly Seat.

    Several women offended by Khan’s statement had lodged a complaint against him with the recorded audio, police said.

    ALSO READ | You will neither become CM, nor be able to make anyone CM: Keshav Maurya to Akhilesh Yadav

    SP chief Akhilesh Yadav who was campaigning along with Azam Khan said, “You get us this seat and you will see that in 2024, the BJP will not be able to save its government.

    ” “This election is not of Rampur alone.

    It is the election to bring the (SP) back in power (in future).

    This is the election for the injustices meted out to Azam Khan.

    “There is SP on one side and on the other side there are those who do injustice, humiliate and lodge fake cases,” he said.

    Rampur will go to polls on December 5 along with Mainpuri, a seat which fell vacant after SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav died on October 10.

    The Rampur Assembly seat had fell vacant after the Rampur District Court sentenced Azam Khan to three years in prison in a 2019 hate speech case over his comments against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He was later granted bail and given a week’s time to appeal against the sentence.

    He eventually lost his Assembly membership since his prison term was longer than two years.

    Azam Khan began his political career by winning the 1980 assembly election on Janata Party (Secular) ticket from Rampur. He has served as a minister in both Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav governments.

    (With ANI inputs)

  • Not so simple: Mulayam card may not be enough for Dimple in Mainpuri

    By PTI

    MANIPURI: Winning the Mainpuri bypoll will not be a simple affair for SP’s Dimple Yadav unlike the past elections when her father-in-law Mulayam Singh Yadav used to register effortless victories, some local residents feel.

    But many are of the view that she will make it, particularly because of the public sympathy for the veteran Samajwadi Party leader who died recently.

    The SP had announced the name of Dimple Yadav, wife of party chief Akhilesh Yadav, as its candidate for the Mainpuri parliamentary seat on November 10.

    “The bypoll will certainly not be simple for Dimple Yadav as the BJP is making all efforts to snatch the seat from the SP. A large number of BJP leaders are already camping in the city,” businessman Dhirendra Kumar Gupta told PTI.

    At the same time, Gupta said, the going will not be easy for the saffron party as its candidate Raghuraj Singh Shakya is meeting and greeting the voters as a formality.

    Unless the BJP workers don’t undertake door-to-door campaigning, it will be tough for Shakya to win, he said.

    “There cannot be any comparison between ‘neta ji’ (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and his son Akhilesh Yadav, as the former knew each of his voters. But the Yadavs are more or less visiting each and every house in the constituency to ensure that they emerge victorious in the bypoll,” he said.

    Gupta asserted that the bypoll is the battle of ‘asmita’ (identity) for the Yadav family.

    The businessman further said that if the local BJP workers fail to make a connection with the voters, then bringing senior leaders, including ministers from Lucknow, for campaigning will have very less impact.

    For hotelier Hemant Pachauri, the upcoming bypoll is the best possible opportunity for the BJP to breach the SP fortress of Mainpuri due to the absence of Mulayam Singh Yadav or ‘neta ji’ to his legions of supporters.

    “If the SP loses the seat this time, it will prove to be the last nail in their political coffin. When in power, the SP had unleashed hooliganism in the city and people were feeling harassed. Now, the scene has changed.”

    “This bypoll is a fiercely contested one. At this point in time, it is difficult to say who will win or who has the edge. Things are different this time, especially in the absence of neta ji,” he said.

    “In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, neta ji had made an emotional appeal to the voters of the constituency urging them to vote for him and he won by a margin of around 94,000 votes with even the BSP supporting him. In the elections prior to 2019, neta ji’s victory margin was in lakhs,” Pachauri said.

    Local trader K K Gupta, however, said there is “no sympathy” for Dimple Yadav as people were fed up with the misrule of the SP when it was in power.

    “They heaved a sigh of relief after the BJP government came to power in the state, and the criminals were arrested. Since then, there has been a dip in crimes,” he claimed.

    Resident Bhupendra Singh too ruled out a sympathy wave for the SP and said the BJP will “create history” in the bypoll and win the seat.

    “The sympathy for Akhilesh Yadav vanished the day he took over the reins of the party from his father following a feud in the family. There is absolutely no sympathy for him, Dimple or for the SP,” he claimed.

    However, Shyam Bahadur Yadav, a self-proclaimed ‘Samajwadi tapasvi’ rejected the observations, saying people of Mainpuri are extending wholehearted support to the SP in general, and the “Saifai family” (Yadavs) in particular.

    “It is the people of Mainpuri, who are fighting the elections (against the BJP). The elections are important as they are being held after the demise of ‘neta ji’ the people of Mainpuri will elect Dimple and send her to Lok Sabha,” Yadav told PTI.

    Asked whether SP’s door-to-door campaigning will be any match for the BJP’s high-tech canvassing, the 50-year-old said, “The BJP indulges in high-decibel campaigning, and it is their only work. They are liars and are always flaunting. They play (songs on) the DJ, while we silently go from one house to another.”

    A resident of Kishni assembly constituency, Pushpendra Singh said Mulayam Singh Yadav had done a lot of work like constructing roads, schools, and hospitals and ensuring water and electricity supply for the people of the constituency.

    “What has the BJP done for the people of this place?” he said.

    Reacting to the BJP accusing the SP of indulging in dynastic politics, he said there is no ‘parivaarvaad’ in the party.

    Rishi Yadav (17), a student of BSc first year from Karhal assembly segment, who aspired to join the Indian Air Force, said, “Though I will be voting in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, I am closely watching the election campaign and the SP is going to win the bypoll.”

    “From roads to expressways, whatever we have got, it is only due to neta ji. The young voters have shown their inclination towards the SP, and Dimple Yadav will win the bypoll with a greater margin,” he said.

    When asked to comment on BJP’s allegations of crime reigning supreme during the SP regime, Rishi Yadav said crimes are being committed even now.

    “In fact, they have only increased (under the BJP),” he claimed.

    Akhilesh Yadav represents the Karhal assembly seat, which is part of the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency. Polling in Mainpuri will be held on December 5 while the counting of votes will take place on December 8.

    MANIPURI: Winning the Mainpuri bypoll will not be a simple affair for SP’s Dimple Yadav unlike the past elections when her father-in-law Mulayam Singh Yadav used to register effortless victories, some local residents feel.

    But many are of the view that she will make it, particularly because of the public sympathy for the veteran Samajwadi Party leader who died recently.

    The SP had announced the name of Dimple Yadav, wife of party chief Akhilesh Yadav, as its candidate for the Mainpuri parliamentary seat on November 10.

    “The bypoll will certainly not be simple for Dimple Yadav as the BJP is making all efforts to snatch the seat from the SP. A large number of BJP leaders are already camping in the city,” businessman Dhirendra Kumar Gupta told PTI.

    At the same time, Gupta said, the going will not be easy for the saffron party as its candidate Raghuraj Singh Shakya is meeting and greeting the voters as a formality.

    Unless the BJP workers don’t undertake door-to-door campaigning, it will be tough for Shakya to win, he said.

    “There cannot be any comparison between ‘neta ji’ (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and his son Akhilesh Yadav, as the former knew each of his voters. But the Yadavs are more or less visiting each and every house in the constituency to ensure that they emerge victorious in the bypoll,” he said.

    Gupta asserted that the bypoll is the battle of ‘asmita’ (identity) for the Yadav family.

    The businessman further said that if the local BJP workers fail to make a connection with the voters, then bringing senior leaders, including ministers from Lucknow, for campaigning will have very less impact.

    For hotelier Hemant Pachauri, the upcoming bypoll is the best possible opportunity for the BJP to breach the SP fortress of Mainpuri due to the absence of Mulayam Singh Yadav or ‘neta ji’ to his legions of supporters.

    “If the SP loses the seat this time, it will prove to be the last nail in their political coffin. When in power, the SP had unleashed hooliganism in the city and people were feeling harassed. Now, the scene has changed.”

    “This bypoll is a fiercely contested one. At this point in time, it is difficult to say who will win or who has the edge. Things are different this time, especially in the absence of neta ji,” he said.

    “In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, neta ji had made an emotional appeal to the voters of the constituency urging them to vote for him and he won by a margin of around 94,000 votes with even the BSP supporting him. In the elections prior to 2019, neta ji’s victory margin was in lakhs,” Pachauri said.

    Local trader K K Gupta, however, said there is “no sympathy” for Dimple Yadav as people were fed up with the misrule of the SP when it was in power.

    “They heaved a sigh of relief after the BJP government came to power in the state, and the criminals were arrested. Since then, there has been a dip in crimes,” he claimed.

    Resident Bhupendra Singh too ruled out a sympathy wave for the SP and said the BJP will “create history” in the bypoll and win the seat.

    “The sympathy for Akhilesh Yadav vanished the day he took over the reins of the party from his father following a feud in the family. There is absolutely no sympathy for him, Dimple or for the SP,” he claimed.

    However, Shyam Bahadur Yadav, a self-proclaimed ‘Samajwadi tapasvi’ rejected the observations, saying people of Mainpuri are extending wholehearted support to the SP in general, and the “Saifai family” (Yadavs) in particular.

    “It is the people of Mainpuri, who are fighting the elections (against the BJP). The elections are important as they are being held after the demise of ‘neta ji’ the people of Mainpuri will elect Dimple and send her to Lok Sabha,” Yadav told PTI.

    Asked whether SP’s door-to-door campaigning will be any match for the BJP’s high-tech canvassing, the 50-year-old said, “The BJP indulges in high-decibel campaigning, and it is their only work. They are liars and are always flaunting. They play (songs on) the DJ, while we silently go from one house to another.”

    A resident of Kishni assembly constituency, Pushpendra Singh said Mulayam Singh Yadav had done a lot of work like constructing roads, schools, and hospitals and ensuring water and electricity supply for the people of the constituency.

    “What has the BJP done for the people of this place?” he said.

    Reacting to the BJP accusing the SP of indulging in dynastic politics, he said there is no ‘parivaarvaad’ in the party.

    Rishi Yadav (17), a student of BSc first year from Karhal assembly segment, who aspired to join the Indian Air Force, said, “Though I will be voting in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, I am closely watching the election campaign and the SP is going to win the bypoll.”

    “From roads to expressways, whatever we have got, it is only due to neta ji. The young voters have shown their inclination towards the SP, and Dimple Yadav will win the bypoll with a greater margin,” he said.

    When asked to comment on BJP’s allegations of crime reigning supreme during the SP regime, Rishi Yadav said crimes are being committed even now.

    “In fact, they have only increased (under the BJP),” he claimed.

    Akhilesh Yadav represents the Karhal assembly seat, which is part of the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency. Polling in Mainpuri will be held on December 5 while the counting of votes will take place on December 8.

  • Mainpuri bypoll campaign: Akhilesh Yadav touches uncle Shivpal’s feet at election rally

    By PTI

    ETAWAH: In a show of bonhomie during the campaign for the Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypoll, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday touched the feet of his uncle Shivpal Yadav and asserted that there has never been any strain in their relationship.

    Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) chief Shivpal Singh Yadav termed the bypolls a high stake contest, and told the audience that the family has become one.

    He also said that the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government peddles a lot of lies.

    Addressing an election rally in the family bastion of Saifai, Akhilesh Yadav asserted that his party will register a historic win in the bypoll.

    Dimple Yadav, the wife of Akhilesh Yadav, has been fielded from the seat, which has been represented by the SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav.

    The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of Mulayam Singh last month.

    “The bypolls are taking place at a time when ‘Netaji’ (Mulayam Singh Yadav) is not among us. The entire country is watching this election, and I can say that the entire country will see how the Samajwadi Party registers a historic win,” Akhilesh Yadav said.

    After remaining at loggerheads since 2017, Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle had decided to mend fences before the 2022 Assembly polls.

    Both had put up a united front at the behest of Mulayam Singh Yadav.

    #WATCH | Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav meets PSP chief Shivpal Yadav, touches his feet atop the stage while campaigning for the byelections in Mainpuri, UP pic.twitter.com/c82LOivUqb
    — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) November 20, 2022
    However, the cracks appeared again after the poll in which the BJP came back to power.

    “At times people say that there is ‘dooriyaan’ (distance). There was no ‘dooriyaan’ between ‘chacha’ (uncle) and ‘bhatija’ (nephew). ‘Dooriyaan’ was there in politics. I had never considered any ‘dooriyaan’ between uncle and nephew. And, I am happy that today the ‘dooriyaan’ in politics has also ended,” Akhilesh Yadav said to a rousing applause from public.

    “And it is because of this that the BJP is feeling frightened. It knows that the people of Jaswantnagar have made up their mind to vote for the SP. Karhal is also walking along, and the people of Mainpuri too have made up their mind ,” the SP chief said.

    Jaswantnagar and Karhal are represented by Shivpal and Akhilesh Yadav respectively in the UP assembly.

    The poll campaign on Sunday saw Akhilesh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav and SP general secretary Ramgopal Yadav sharing the stage.

    During the rally, Akhilesh Yadav also said that this is the first government (referring to the BJP), which has forgotten its promises.

    “When there is a strain in a relationship they say that there is a feud, and when we become one, they would term us as ‘parivaar vaadi’ party. This is the problem of the BJP people and it will remain, because everywhere they look out for shortcomings,” he said.

    “It is BJP propaganda that aims to show us as a party of one family, a party of one caste, and seek support of people of one particular religion. ‘Netaji’ has always taught us the politics of brotherhood and amity, and how to give respect to people,” Akhilesh Yadav said.

    The SP chief urged the party workers to walk on the path shown by his father, and change the course of the country and that of the society.

    “The BJP should not make any claims on development. They can make claims about potholes on the road or that of corruption,” he said, and added that whatever development has taken place in the region, it is because of the ‘Samajwadis.’

    He cited Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences in Saifai as an example of such progress.

    “Had ‘Netaji’ not been adamant, the Lucknow-Agra expressway would not have been made in 23 months. This expressway was found to be the best expressway in the country. When he was invited for the foundation stone laying ceremony, he had said that he would lay the foundation stone only when he knew the date of inauguration. The day on which the foundation stone was laid was the birthday of ‘Netaji’, and the day when it was inaugurated was also his birthday,” the SP chief said.

    He also said that the ongoing bypolls are important as after the BJP’s defeat in Bengal and change in power equation in Bihar, it was UP’s turn to halt the victory run of BJP and prevent it from coming to power at the centre.

    Akhilesh Yadav said that in line with an advice given by Ramgopal Yadav — given earlier in the meeting, he said — the party has to take stock of the EVMs till the very end to prevent any malfeasance. “Because this government will not tell you where 20 lakh EVMs have disappeared. Last time you made us win the polls, but the administration defeated us. In the (postal) ballot, we won almost 300 seats.”

    Shivpal Singh Yadav said, “Reputation is at stake in this election. Dimple is our daughter-in-law. Everyone who is sitting here carries a part of ‘Netaji.’ This is a fight for honour, and all the records have to be made in this election itself. This is true that you have told us to unite, and we have become one. And now it is your responsibility to ensure a victory by record margin. Whenever such challenges have sprung before the people of Jaswantnagar, they have emerged victorious,” Shivpal Singh Yadav said.

    He also said that ever since the BJP came to power in UP, the problems of the people have only increased.

    “The BJP government peddles a lot of misinformation. We want to know that in the past 10 years, has it done any work for the people of UP?” he said.

    “BJP has encouraged poverty, unemployment, corruption. It has worked to disturb the people of the entire state. If the public has to go to any office, they have to pay a bribe,” he said.

    Akhilesh Yadav had on last Thursday met the PSPL chief along with Dimple Yadav, and shared a picture of them together.

    In a tweet after the meeting, Akhilesh Yadav had then said, “Along with the blessings of Netaji and elders of the family, the people of Mainpuri are also with us.”

    Exhorting the party workers to ensure the party’s win, Ramgopal Yadav said, “When you have defeated the BJP in the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, then people will realise that the BJP too can be defeated, not only in Mainpuri, but also in the state and in the country.”

    “The country is being run by a dictatorial government. Everyone is tortured, and no one is getting any relief. Some people of the BJP were telling us yesterday that the work which used to cost Rs 100 in the earlier government, now costs at least Rs 1,000. There is loot in police stations and tehsil (offices),” he said.

    On Wednesday, Shivpal Yadav had held a meeting with the party workers for the bypoll.

    Shivpal Singh Yadav’s role in the election assumes importance as his assembly constituency Jaswantnagar comes under the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency.

    He has a close relationship with the people of Mainpuri and used to go as Mulayam’s representative in various programmes there whenever the SP patriarch was unavailable.

    The PSP(L) chief’s campaigning in favour of Dimple is also considered important as Raghuraj Singh Shakya, BJP’s nominee from the seat, was once a close aide of him.

    Polling in Mainpuri will be held on December 5, while counting of votes will take place on December 8.

    The Mainpuri parliamentary constituency has five assembly segments of Mainpuri, Bhongaon, Kishni, Karhal and Jaswant Nagar.

    In the 2022 assembly elections, the SP won the Karhal, Kishni and the Jaswantnagar seats, while the BJP won the Mainpuri and the Bhogaon seats.

    Akhilesh’s Karhal assembly seat is also part of Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency.

    ETAWAH: In a show of bonhomie during the campaign for the Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypoll, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday touched the feet of his uncle Shivpal Yadav and asserted that there has never been any strain in their relationship.

    Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) chief Shivpal Singh Yadav termed the bypolls a high stake contest, and told the audience that the family has become one.

    He also said that the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government peddles a lot of lies.

    Addressing an election rally in the family bastion of Saifai, Akhilesh Yadav asserted that his party will register a historic win in the bypoll.

    Dimple Yadav, the wife of Akhilesh Yadav, has been fielded from the seat, which has been represented by the SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav.

    The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of Mulayam Singh last month.

    “The bypolls are taking place at a time when ‘Netaji’ (Mulayam Singh Yadav) is not among us. The entire country is watching this election, and I can say that the entire country will see how the Samajwadi Party registers a historic win,” Akhilesh Yadav said.

    After remaining at loggerheads since 2017, Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle had decided to mend fences before the 2022 Assembly polls.

    Both had put up a united front at the behest of Mulayam Singh Yadav.

    #WATCH | Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav meets PSP chief Shivpal Yadav, touches his feet atop the stage while campaigning for the byelections in Mainpuri, UP pic.twitter.com/c82LOivUqb
    — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) November 20, 2022
    However, the cracks appeared again after the poll in which the BJP came back to power.

    “At times people say that there is ‘dooriyaan’ (distance). There was no ‘dooriyaan’ between ‘chacha’ (uncle) and ‘bhatija’ (nephew). ‘Dooriyaan’ was there in politics. I had never considered any ‘dooriyaan’ between uncle and nephew. And, I am happy that today the ‘dooriyaan’ in politics has also ended,” Akhilesh Yadav said to a rousing applause from public.

    “And it is because of this that the BJP is feeling frightened. It knows that the people of Jaswantnagar have made up their mind to vote for the SP. Karhal is also walking along, and the people of Mainpuri too have made up their mind ,” the SP chief said.

    Jaswantnagar and Karhal are represented by Shivpal and Akhilesh Yadav respectively in the UP assembly.

    The poll campaign on Sunday saw Akhilesh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav and SP general secretary Ramgopal Yadav sharing the stage.

    During the rally, Akhilesh Yadav also said that this is the first government (referring to the BJP), which has forgotten its promises.

    “When there is a strain in a relationship they say that there is a feud, and when we become one, they would term us as ‘parivaar vaadi’ party. This is the problem of the BJP people and it will remain, because everywhere they look out for shortcomings,” he said.

    “It is BJP propaganda that aims to show us as a party of one family, a party of one caste, and seek support of people of one particular religion. ‘Netaji’ has always taught us the politics of brotherhood and amity, and how to give respect to people,” Akhilesh Yadav said.

    The SP chief urged the party workers to walk on the path shown by his father, and change the course of the country and that of the society.

    “The BJP should not make any claims on development. They can make claims about potholes on the road or that of corruption,” he said, and added that whatever development has taken place in the region, it is because of the ‘Samajwadis.’

    He cited Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences in Saifai as an example of such progress.

    “Had ‘Netaji’ not been adamant, the Lucknow-Agra expressway would not have been made in 23 months. This expressway was found to be the best expressway in the country. When he was invited for the foundation stone laying ceremony, he had said that he would lay the foundation stone only when he knew the date of inauguration. The day on which the foundation stone was laid was the birthday of ‘Netaji’, and the day when it was inaugurated was also his birthday,” the SP chief said.

    He also said that the ongoing bypolls are important as after the BJP’s defeat in Bengal and change in power equation in Bihar, it was UP’s turn to halt the victory run of BJP and prevent it from coming to power at the centre.

    Akhilesh Yadav said that in line with an advice given by Ramgopal Yadav — given earlier in the meeting, he said — the party has to take stock of the EVMs till the very end to prevent any malfeasance. “Because this government will not tell you where 20 lakh EVMs have disappeared. Last time you made us win the polls, but the administration defeated us. In the (postal) ballot, we won almost 300 seats.”

    Shivpal Singh Yadav said, “Reputation is at stake in this election. Dimple is our daughter-in-law. Everyone who is sitting here carries a part of ‘Netaji.’ This is a fight for honour, and all the records have to be made in this election itself. This is true that you have told us to unite, and we have become one. And now it is your responsibility to ensure a victory by record margin. Whenever such challenges have sprung before the people of Jaswantnagar, they have emerged victorious,” Shivpal Singh Yadav said.

    He also said that ever since the BJP came to power in UP, the problems of the people have only increased.

    “The BJP government peddles a lot of misinformation. We want to know that in the past 10 years, has it done any work for the people of UP?” he said.

    “BJP has encouraged poverty, unemployment, corruption. It has worked to disturb the people of the entire state. If the public has to go to any office, they have to pay a bribe,” he said.

    Akhilesh Yadav had on last Thursday met the PSPL chief along with Dimple Yadav, and shared a picture of them together.

    In a tweet after the meeting, Akhilesh Yadav had then said, “Along with the blessings of Netaji and elders of the family, the people of Mainpuri are also with us.”

    Exhorting the party workers to ensure the party’s win, Ramgopal Yadav said, “When you have defeated the BJP in the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, then people will realise that the BJP too can be defeated, not only in Mainpuri, but also in the state and in the country.”

    “The country is being run by a dictatorial government. Everyone is tortured, and no one is getting any relief. Some people of the BJP were telling us yesterday that the work which used to cost Rs 100 in the earlier government, now costs at least Rs 1,000. There is loot in police stations and tehsil (offices),” he said.

    On Wednesday, Shivpal Yadav had held a meeting with the party workers for the bypoll.

    Shivpal Singh Yadav’s role in the election assumes importance as his assembly constituency Jaswantnagar comes under the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency.

    He has a close relationship with the people of Mainpuri and used to go as Mulayam’s representative in various programmes there whenever the SP patriarch was unavailable.

    The PSP(L) chief’s campaigning in favour of Dimple is also considered important as Raghuraj Singh Shakya, BJP’s nominee from the seat, was once a close aide of him.

    Polling in Mainpuri will be held on December 5, while counting of votes will take place on December 8.

    The Mainpuri parliamentary constituency has five assembly segments of Mainpuri, Bhongaon, Kishni, Karhal and Jaswant Nagar.

    In the 2022 assembly elections, the SP won the Karhal, Kishni and the Jaswantnagar seats, while the BJP won the Mainpuri and the Bhogaon seats.

    Akhilesh’s Karhal assembly seat is also part of Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency.