SP chief targets BJP for development, urges CM to contest from Ayodhya

LUCK

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to contest the upcoming assembly elections from Ayodhya, claiming that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is “nervous”.

“If a Chief Minister who makes big claims is so confident, then he should contest the elections from Ayodhya,” Mr. Yadav said. He was speaking to reporters in Ayodhya after attending a religious discourse (Shrimad Bhagwat Katha) at the ancestral home of senior SP leader and former minister Tej Narayan Pandey.

The SP dealt a major blow to the BJP in the 2024 parliamentary elections by winning the Faizabad (Ayodhya) Lok Sabha seat. SP candidate Awadhesh Prasad defeated two-term BJP MP Lallu Singh by over 54,000 votes in what was widely considered a major political setback.

The survey promises

Accusing the BJP government of carrying out rampant demolitions in the name of development, Mr Yadav said that if the party comes to power, it will accelerate growth without displacing local residents.

“If the Samajwadi government comes to power, there will be no discrimination and no house or shop will be demolished. We will work to get Ayodhya real international recognition,” he said. He also announced that the SP will provide ₹40,000 per year to women if they come to power.

Addressing the rally, the SP chief attacked the BJP for its “politics of division”. He argued that the current political atmosphere is dominated by the arrogance of power, casteism and social discrimination.

“Today, in the holy land of Ayodhya, devotees chant Jai Radheshyam together. For us, Lord Ram and Lord Krishna are the same. That is the beauty of our society and culture,” Mr Yadav said.

“Today we see a society full of suffering and division. There is enmity, untouchability and the debate of pure and impure. In such times, the importance of spiritual discourses grows as they strengthen the morale of people,” he added.

“Elections are the biggest holiday of democracy. When they are held, it will be time to make a decision,” he said.

the “false story” of the opposition

State BJP leader Dinesh Dubey dismissed the SP chief’s challenge and said, “In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, a section of voters fell for the false narrative of the opposition. However, after the parliamentary elections, we soon won the parliamentary elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Bihar, among others. While the opposition actually secured Lok Sabha seats there. supporting the INDIA bloc.”

“We will win over 300 seats in the upcoming UP polls. Akhilesh Yadav is living in an illusion and reality will hit him when the results are declared,” he added.

Published – October 9, 2026 0:39 AM IST