By 4th phase, SP will get sufficient seats to form govt: Akhilesh

AGRA : Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday predicted that his party will get sufficient seats to form the government in the state by the fourth phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly election on February 23.

By the seventh and final phase (March 7), the BJP booths will only have bhoot (ghosts), he said, addressing four public meetings in Firozabad district, where his party’s candidates are in the fray for five assembly seats. Firozabad goes to polls in the third phase on February 20.

“The Samajwadi Party had completed a century (100) of assembly seats in the first and second phases of polling (February 10 and 14). The fourth phase election will pave the way for the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh. By the seventh phase of polling, there will be only bhoot (ghosts) at the BJP booths in Uttar Pradesh,” Akhilesh Yadav said.

The seven-phase election began from west UP on February 10 and will conclude on March 7 in east UP. Counting of votes will take place on March 10.

“Those who were saying ‘garmi nikal denge’ (will take out their heat) are now themselves turning “thanda” (cold). When polling takes place in Firozabad, their (BJP leaders’) steam will also go away,” said the SP president in a reference to chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s ‘garmi’ jibe earlier during the poll campaign.

Firozabad district is considered to be part of the Yadav belt. In 2017, the BJP had won four seats and the SP one in the district. The sitting SP MLA Hari Om Yadav is now the BJP candidate from Sirsaganj. The Samajwadi Party had lost the Firozabad Lok Sabha seat in 2019.

Continuing his attack, Akhilesh Yadav termed BJP as a party of liars and said, “The bigger the BJP leader, the bigger liar he is.”

“Farmers were assured double income by 2022, but it never happened. Farmers are not even getting proper price of their crop,” the SP chief complained and suggested villagers lay a cot for BJP leaders, when they come to their village and sing the Bollywood number “kya hua tera wada” to remind them about their promises.

Akhilesh Yadav blamed the BJP for encouraging privatisation to end reservation in jobs and said that Samajwadi Party will get a caste census done so that the castes get their due.

“This election is to safeguard constitution because the backwards and dalits are being harassed and insulted. We will carry forward the fight taken up by netaji (Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav),” Akhilesh said.

“Those who do not believe in law and order should not vote for the Samajwadi Party as we do not require their vote. The BJP makes tall claims on law order but has allowed those ruining banks to abscond,” he alleged.

Akhilesh Yadav was accompanied by RLD president Jayant Chaudhary who appealed to his party workers to work for the Samajwadi Party (SP) candidates. He promised ration for the poor and said that BJP had extended distribution of free ration till March because of the assembly election. Accompanying Akhilesh Yadav at Tundla in Firozabad, Jayant Chaudhary said this election will decide the future of farmer politics. The RLD reminded the people about his grandfather, former Prime Minister the late Chaudhary Charan Singh, considered one of the tallest farmer leaders of the country.