BJP workers trying to loot booths in Mainpuri, alleges Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday, 7 May, alleged that the BJP workers were trying to loot booths in the state's Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency and detaining people from opposition parties in police stations.

"In Mainpuri, BJP people are trying to loot booths. They are detaining opposition people in police stations," Yadav said without giving details.

The Lok Sabha seat went to polls in the third round of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday.

Yadav, who cast his vote in Saifai (Etawah) for Mainpuri constituency where his wife and sitting MP Dimple Yadav is in the fray, also claimed that there is a power tussle going on within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and, therefore, its leaders give statements for "self-appeasement".

He alleged rigging of votes at some places and said, "Information is coming from some places that the government is using force. It is heard that officers have been deployed outside polling booths."

The former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh said the BJP government could not give minimum support price to the farmers and more than a thousand farmers lost their lives in the agitation against "the three black farm laws".

He also indirectly referred to the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in 2021, in which four farmers were allegedly run over by a car in which Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra's son Ashish Mishra was seated, and said, "These people ran their cars over farmers. Since 2014, when the BJP government came to power, one lakh farmers have committed suicide in the country."

Yadav raised questions on elections being held in the scorching heat and said this is being done to deliberately trouble people.

He, however, appealed to voters to come out in big numbers and cast their ballots.

"This is the vote that can change our lives. It is this vote that will strengthen the Constitution and democracy. The more votes we have, the stronger our democracy will be," the SP chief said.

Talking to the reporters later, Dimple Yadav said, "Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) had a deep connection with the Mainpuri. Development of this area is our priority. How we provide honour, assistance and facilities to the people is not only about Mainpuri but also of the surrounding areas,"

On being asked about the BJP's claim that they will demolish SP's fore in Mainpuri, Dimple said, "There seems to be an undemocratic conspiracy by the BJP to cause harm in some way or the other. This policy of the BJP has extended to the other states. I have seen that these people topple elected governments of states in an undemocratic manner,".

Meanwhile, SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav, who also cast his vote in Saifai, alleged that the BJP will change the Constitution if they return to power.

"BJP has also prepared a new constitution. When someone gets absolute power he heads towards dictatorship," he said.

On Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's statement that the current Lok Sabha election is an election between 'Ram Bhakts' and 'Ramdrohi', Ram Gopal Yadav said, "When one gets intoxicated with power, a person starts talking about anything. That's what our chief minister is doing".

The fight in this Lok Sabha election is to save the country, he said, adding that Dimple Yadav will win the Mainpuri seat with five lakh votes.