Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav has said that the I.N.D.I.A bloc (INDI Alliance) candidates are set to contest all nine Assembly seats in the upcoming by-polls in Uttar Pradesh (UP) on his party’s election symbol, ‘cycle’.
He claimed that the opposition bloc’s pursuit of victory, not any seat-sharing calculations, guided its decision.
“Congress and the Samajwadi Party are united and stand shoulder to shoulder for a big victory. The INDIA bloc is going to write a new chapter of victory in this by-election,” Yadav said in a post on X.
“With this unprecedented cooperation and support, every worker of ‘INDIA bloc’ on all nine Assembly seats is filled with new energy with the resolve to win,” he added.
“It is not about seats but about winning. Under this strategy, the joint candidates of the INDIA bloc will contest all the nine seats on the Samajwadi Party’s election symbol ‘cycle’. This decision reflects the alliance’s determination to win the by-elections.
“Congress and Samajwadi Party are united and standing shoulder to shoulder for a big victory. INDIA bloc is going to write a new chapter of victory in the Uttar Pradesh by-election, the SP President wrote on X.
“Samajwadi Party’s strength has increased manifold with the support of Congress party’s top leadership and booth level workers. With this unprecedented cooperation and support, every worker of the INDIA bloc in all the 9 Assembly seats has been filled with new energy with the resolve to win.”
“This is an election to save the country’s constitution, harmony and the honour of the PDA. That is why our appeal to everyone is: not even a single vote should be reduced, not even a single vote should be divided,” Yadav further wrote on X.
This unity and solidarity of the INDIA bloc filled with harmony in the interest of the country will write new history today and tomorrow as well, he added.
Speaking about the Uttar Pradesh bypolls, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister asserted that the upcoming election will be fought for the protection of the country’s Constitution, peace, and the honour of “Pichchde (backwards), Dalit and Alpsankhyak (Minorities)”.
Uttar Pradesh bypolls will be held on November 13 for nine seats: Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Karhal (Mainpuri), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Sishamau (Kanpur city), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj), and Kundarki (Moradabad).
Eight of these seats in the state fell vacant after their MLAs were elected as MPs in the Lok Sabha, while a bypoll was held on the Sisamau seat following the disqualification of SP MLA Irfan Solanki, who was convicted in a criminal case.
The Election Commission has announced a by-election on nine seats, leaving out Milkipur (Ayodhya).
The last date for filing nominations is October 25.
The counting of votes will take place on November 23.
The SP has already declared its candidates from Karhal, Sisamau, Phulpur, Milkipur, Katehari, Majahawan, and Meerapur.
Seemingly jittery Congress in UP
Meanwhile, speculations are rife that the Congress party has, in a way, ‘surrendered’ to Akhilesh in UP. Moreover, this is also being seen as a side effect of the Congress party’s dismal performance in the Haryana elections, where the party lost to the BJP. Congress and SP maintain that it is about winning as a joint force against the BJP. Acharya Krishnam, former Congress leader, took a jibe, saying that Congress should now give up its symbol and office to SP.
Sources say that grassroots Congress workers are also unsure, so Akhilesh did not want to risk going into the bypolls with an unprepared team to take on the BJP in UP.
–IANS & Media Reports
