Ready to form govt again, says Akhilesh
“I have done my work and I am happy, ready to form the government again,” said a visibly relaxed UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav a day before the counting.
Both Akhilesh and wife Dimple looked unnerved by the exit polls that have forecast absolute majority for the Bhartiya Janata Party.
“Exit polls are not unanimous in their verdicts. I simply want to know how many booth-level workers and villagers they interacted with before delivering their numbers. Our information is from every booth and tomorrow all will know who is the winner,” the chief minister said.
He is armed with his own list and counts constituencies they were winning in worst possible scenarios. And while media is discussing the possibility of a coalition government, Akhilesh claims they are forming government on their own.
“The governor will invite the single largest party,” he said in case of a hung house.
Pointing out how exit polls went wrong for Bihar, Dimple said, “Our cadre is very excited as the SP is winning the elections.” And she lightly refers to the general discussion in the market as to why the BJP had not ordered sweets even after exit polls gave them absolute majority.
Akhilesh, on the other hand, says that while capturing the elections as a festival, he also met the cadre and travelled the state.
On his reported willingness to ally with BSP in case of a hung house, Akhilesh clarifies, “I had only said I will be open to alliance with anyone to stall BJP from coming to power and in giving a secular and stable government to the state. I had not named the BSP. Nonetheless everything depends on the numbers.”
However, political pundits see it as clever move and perhaps a carrot to willing crossovers from the BSP. Asked why the SP was not preparing for the celebrations as the BSP camp was doing, Akhilesh says, “Here in our camp everything is set. We just have to resume our development projects and remove two or three from positions.” A loud laughter follows.
In between this informal chat, he and his wife are all ears for statements coming on channels including that of Mayawati.
“Let’s wait for the results now. The satta bazaar is today giving the alliance a majority,” he says adding there was close fight on every seat.
On growing criticism from within the party over his decision to ally with the Congress, Akhilesh says, “It was the right decision. Two young leaders have come together to give a new direction to country’s politics.”
“Our vision is different from that of our elders.I talk about aroma park while they will talk about love jehad,” he adds.
Akhilesh says his campaign focused on both his achievements and promises, while the BJP had nothing in its kitty to showcase or quote except for their plan to give gas cylinders. “The Prime Minister promised bullet train. Three years on, no sign of it. See how fast we will run it if voted back to power,” he adds.
“Some must have voted for development like metro, laptop, smartphone—where has that vote gone; It has come to us. If caste and religion are the only guiding forces, then I will also take some castes for tonga and rikshaw ride, where is the need for an expressway,” he says.
On exit polls, he says money is at play as there is so much of political dishonesty. “Tell me if I want to grab limelight on TV, what more I have to do. Obviously, they are encouraging corruption.”
“We have seen this elections in the form of festival. We saw youth, red caps, slogans and party flags, enthusiasm at every rally. Such was the overwhelming support that at Dimple’s rally some people fell down from a tree. Dimple had then described the overwhelming support as so far people were breaking barriers and now trees are breaking.”
“People are wise and hard work will not go unrewarded,” says Akhilesh adding he was ready to accept the worst.
After all, “victory has many fathers, defeat has none.”
I had only said I will be open to alliance with anyone to stall BJP from coming to power and in giving a secular and stable government to the state. I had not named the BSP AKHILESH YADAV, UP chief minister, on alliance with Mayawati