UP Bypolls 2024: The Samajwadi Party on Thursday alleged that rigging and administrative bias were the order of the day during voting in the by-elections to nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, claims dismissed by the BJP which accused the opposition of pursuing politics of “arrogance and negativity”.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav took to X to claim that despite the BJP’s efforts, the opposition alliance has secured a moral victory.

He congratulated the alliance’s supporters, party workers, and media for their efforts, stating, “This election was a battle of 90 per cent of the state’s population against the BJP, who denied the unity, dignity, and rights of the PDA.”

He added that the people’s spirit remained steadfast, despite the BJP’s “negative” tactics and the “autocratic” government.

Senior SP leader Shivpal Singh Yadav also expressed confidence in the party’s victory, claiming that it would secure five to six seats despite what he described as dishonest efforts by the ruling BJP and its use of administrative support.

He warned that when the INDIA bloc assumes power in 2027, strict action would be taken against the officials involved in assisting the BJP.

SP’s general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav made more severe allegations of election rigging, accusing the BJP of using district officials and police to manipulate the vote.

In a post on X, he claimed the by-election was “between the Samajwadi Party and the district police, not between the SP and BJP”.

He claimed that voters, particularly from the Muslim community, were intimidated and prevented from voting at gunpoint in areas like Meerapur, Kundarki, Sisamau, and Katehari.

Ram Gopal Yadav called for the by-election results to be annulled and re-polling conducted under the supervision of paramilitary forces, citing concerns over the administration’s conduct.

In response to the opposition’s claims, Uttar Pradesh’s Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya dismissed the SP’s accusations.

He took to X to target Akhilesh Yadav and his ally, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing them of fostering politics of arrogance and negativity.

Maurya asserted that the public would reject their claims, stressing that the country needed development, not “allegations and counter-allegations”.

He emphasized that the BJP remained committed to serving the people under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BJP candidate from Ghaziabad, Sanjeev Sharma, also expressed confidence in his victory, claiming a margin of 50,000 votes. He told PTI that after casting his vote, he felt relaxed and looked forward to celebrating his anticipated win with party supporters ahead of counting.

Meanwhile, Azad Samaj Party MP Chandrashekhar Azad accused the BJP government of misusing its administrative machinery in a manner never seen before. He said the by-election was a matter of prestige for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, stressing that the BJP’s performance in this election would be closely scrutinized by the party’s leadership in Delhi.

Voting for the nine assembly seats – Meerapur, Kundarki, Sisamau, Katehari, Phulpur, Majhawan, Ghaziabad, Karhal and Khair, took place on November 20. Counting will be done on November 23.

In the 2022 assembly elections, the SP had secured victory in Sisamau, Katehari, Karhal, and Kundarki, while the BJP won in Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, and Khair. The Meerapur seat was won by the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), part of the NDA.