Lucknow, Nov 6 Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday wondered how the chief minister knew that the names of 1.27 crore “Hindu voters” had been deleted from the voter roll, as Yogi Adityanath claimed last week, and whether the Election Commission shared its data with him or his office.
Speaking at a programme at the party office here, Yadav accused Adityanath of raising the bogey of “infiltrators” to support the special intensive revision and now claiming the massive vote cut.
“The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, who kept the entire nation in a state of fear by constantly invoking the issue of infiltrators, now claims that the names of 1.27 crore Hindu voters have been cut,” Yadav said, according to a statement.
The former UP chief minister also alleged an EC-BJP collusion by insinuating that the top panel may have shared its data with the government before sharing it with the public.
“The question arises: How do they know that the names of Hindu voters are missing? It appears that the Election Commission has shared the entire data with the chief minister or the chief minister’s office. They show it to the public and political parties later, but first to the CM’s office,” Yadav said.
The SP president also said that when Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Lucknow (for the party’s state working committee meeting), BJP workers were urged to collectively ensure that 2 crore names are added to the electoral rolls.
“This is because they are aware that if the names of 1.27 crore voters have been removed, it implies that approximately 31,000 votes of theirs are missing from each assembly constituency,” he said.
“This has left the BJP feeling rattled. They have now come up with something entirely new. And if we were to accept their own figure of 1.27 crore, it would mean a reduction of approximately 31,000 votes for them in every assembly constituency, which implies that they have effectively lost the election,” Yadav said.
The SP leader claimed that his party’s workers stopped the “dishonesty” being committed through Form 7, which has now been discontinued in the state.
He also gave certain names — Nandlal Nishad, Dashrath, Vikas Yadav – whose credentials, he claimed, were used to commit irregularities while preparing the voter roll in for the state.
“Now, we suggest that since everyone has an Aadhaar, there is no one left who does not have one, the voter list should be linked to Aadhaar.
“By using biometrics, we can ensure that the electoral roll is not tampered with or altered on the day of the election,” Yadav said, adding that a government which boasts of ‘Digital India’ and aspires to make the nation a ‘Vishwaguru’ should not dismiss the suggestion.
“When they claim that the highest number of mobile phones are being manufactured here, that we have the largest base of internet users, and that we lead in e-payments, then why are they so afraid of using biometrics?” Yadav said.
The former chief minister also alleged that the vote deletion was a means for the BJP to rob people of their citizenship.
“This is a major conspiracy. And what happens once your name is removed from the voter list? All government welfare schemes will be taken away from the poor. Children will no longer receive mid-day meals. Labourers will be deprived of their benefits. They will take away your gas connections; they will take away housing meant for the poor.
“The subsidies you receive will be lost. Your money in the bank, your bank lockers, and your valuables — jewellery and other items you have stored — might no longer be yours… They are actively working to ensure your name does not appear on the voter list,” he said.
The SP chief said that the BJP is terrified of the power of the ‘PDA’, his coinage for “Pichhade, Dalit, Alpasankhyak.”
“They keep coming up with new definitions for ‘PDA’ morning and evening — they do this because the very mention of ‘PDA’ keeps them from sleeping. Therefore, beware of the Bharatiya Janata Party,” Yadav said.
He also accused the BJP of misusing AI to defame its rivals and to spread negativity and malicious propaganda.
“The BJP is spending crores of rupees on false propaganda. There are several more parties, alongside the BJP, that are plotting against the Samajwadi Party,” he said.
Speaking two days before Diwali, Yadav stressed the need to control pollution and protect the environment, urging people to refrain from bursting firecrackers.
He also said that if the Samajwadi Party comes to power next year, it will resume pilgrimages to Kailash Mansarovar for the elderly.
(PTI News)
