SP chief challenges CM to repost claim of 1.27 crore missing votes, turns ‘80-20’ formula into political taunt; Brajesh Pathak hits back with ‘one district, one mafia’ charge
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav has intensified his attack on the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, raising questions over electoral rolls, alleging irregularities in expressway contracts and criticising the government’s school merger policy. His latest remarks have triggered a fresh exchange with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other senior BJP leaders as political preparations gather momentum ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
In a series of social media posts and public statements, Akhilesh has attempted to challenge the government’s record on governance, electoral transparency, infrastructure development and education. The BJP, meanwhile, has countered the allegations by highlighting its law-and-order record and accusing the previous SP government of protecting criminal elements.
Akhilesh challenges Yogi over 1.27 crore missing votes
On November 10, Akhilesh directly challenged Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to repost a Samajwadi Party message from his official social media account over claims concerning missing voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The SP chief referred to Yogi’s reported claim that around 1.27 crore Hindu voters whose names appeared in panchayat electoral rolls were missing from the Election Commission’s voter lists.
Taking a swipe at the Chief Minister, Akhilesh invoked a Hindi proverb suggesting that a person understands another’s pain only after experiencing a similar problem. He said that if the Chief Minister genuinely believed that such a large number of votes had been deleted, he should share the SP’s earlier message from his official account.
He also used an Urdu couplet to suggest that the ruling party was now experiencing concerns similar to those previously raised by the opposition.
The exchange comes amid political disagreements over the SIR exercise, with opposition parties questioning the possibility of eligible voters being excluded from electoral rolls.
Turns Yogi’s ’80-20′ formula into a seat-count taunt
Akhilesh also turned the Chief Minister’s ’80-20′ political formulation against the BJP.
Yogi Adityanath has used the expression to describe the political contest in Uttar Pradesh, arguing that 80 per cent of voters support nationalism, good governance, security and development, while 20 per cent stand with the opposition.
Reinterpreting the statement, Akhilesh suggested that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would be restricted to contesting a maximum of 80 Assembly seats, while the opposition’s PDA alliance would emerge stronger.
PDA, which stands for Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak, represents the SP’s proposed social coalition of backward classes, Dalits and minorities.
The remark was aimed at challenging the BJP’s political confidence and projecting the SP as a serious contender for power in the next Assembly elections.
Alleges cartelisation in UPEIDA expressway tenders
Infrastructure contracts have also become a major point of confrontation.
Akhilesh accused the BJP government of allowing cartelisation in the tendering process for Link Expressway projects handled by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA).
He alleged that a limited group of companies was coordinating its bids to ensure that contracts were distributed among them rather than awarded through genuine competition.
Describing the alleged arrangement as a staged bidding exercise, he claimed that companies were taking turns quoting lower rates for different projects. According to him, while one company submitted a lower bid for a particular project, another did so for a different project, creating an appearance of competition.
The SP president further alleged that the government was acting as a silent umpire while the actual arrangements were being made behind the scenes.
He questioned the transparency of the procurement process and demanded accountability over the allocation of public infrastructure contracts. These allegations have not, in the material cited, been established through an independent investigation.
Brajesh Pathak revives ‘one district, one mafia’ charge
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak strongly rejected the SP’s criticism and said the party’s ambition of returning to power in Uttar Pradesh would never be fulfilled.
Taking aim at Akhilesh, Pathak revived the BJP’s long-standing allegation that the previous SP government had allowed criminal elements to exercise political influence across the state.
He described the earlier regime as one characterised by ‘one district, one mafia’ and accused the SP of providing protection to criminals and gangsters. He also alleged that women faced insecurity during the party’s tenure.
Pathak contrasted the previous government’s record with the Yogi administration’s action against mafia groups and criminal networks.
He further criticised the SP’s recent references to Ayodhya and Lord Ram, suggesting that the party was invoking religious issues for electoral reasons despite its earlier political positions.
Demands Aadhaar-linked voter IDs and biometric verification
Electoral transparency remains another key issue in Akhilesh’s campaign against the BJP government.
The SP president has proposed linking Aadhaar with voter identity cards to improve verification and prevent duplicate entries. He has also called for replacing conventional paper or plastic voter cards with durable metal cards that would be more difficult to forge.
Additionally, he has advocated fingerprint or iris-based biometric verification at polling stations.
According to Akhilesh, biometric identification would help establish voter identity more accurately and reduce the possibility of bogus voting. His proposals come amid opposition concerns over alleged discrepancies in electoral rolls and the ongoing SIR exercise.
Any Aadhaar-based linkage or compulsory biometric verification, however, would require appropriate legal and administrative safeguards, including protection against the exclusion of eligible voters.
School mergers and girls’ education become political flashpoints
Akhilesh has also criticised the state government’s policy of merging government schools with low enrolment.
He argued that shifting students to schools located farther from their homes could discourage families, particularly in rural areas, from sending their daughters to school.
According to the SP chief, distance, transportation difficulties and safety concerns could adversely affect girls’ attendance and access to education.
He questioned the government’s development priorities, arguing that claims about building a trillion-dollar economy would have little meaning if children were deprived of basic schooling.
Akhilesh also warned that the policy could trigger protests involving teachers and students if the concerns of parents and communities were ignored.
The state government has defended school rationalisation as a measure to improve resource utilisation and strengthen educational facilities, maintaining that students are provided alternative arrangements.
2027 political contest begins to take shape
The latest confrontation reflects the growing intensity of the political battle in Uttar Pradesh well ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
While Akhilesh Yadav is seeking to build pressure on the BJP through issues ranging from electoral transparency and infrastructure contracts to education and social representation, the ruling party is countering by highlighting its governance record and attacking the SP’s previous tenure.
With the PDA alliance forming a central part of the SP’s political strategy, the coming months are likely to see sharper arguments over voter representation, development and law and order.
For the BJP, defending its record while challenging the SP’s claims will remain an important part of its electoral preparations. The latest exchanges suggest that both parties have already begun shaping their campaign narratives, turning administrative decisions and political statements into ammunition for the contest ahead.
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