There was plan to project Adityanath as PM candidate during Maha Kumbh: Akhilesh Yadav
Prayagraj, Apr 20 (PTI): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday suggested that there was a plan to project Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as a prime ministerial candidate during the recently held Maha Kumbh and alleged that the BJP leader made it a political event.
"They wanted to turn it into a political Kumbh, not a religious one. It was not a Kumbh for devotees, but for political purposes,” Yadav told reporters here.
"It is being heard that during the Maha Kumbh, there was a plan to announce his (Adityanath's) name as the prime ministerial face," the former chief minister said.
He also alleged severe mismanagement in the organisation of the Maha Kumbh 2025 here.
“Have you ever seen TV channels being given interviews during a Kumbh? Such arrangements were made here. This entire mismanagement has caused a major blot on the organisation of the event,” he claimed.
“In the future, you will understand even better. Many things might not reach me, but you live here — you know the truth,” Yadav said.
The SP chief also said that the opposition INDIA bloc will continue in the 2027 UP Assembly elections.
He attacked the BJP, alleging it was trying to grab land like the mafia through the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.
Yadav said that the "PDA (Backward, Dalits, and Minorities) would uproot the BJP" from the state in the 2027 assembly elections.
When asked about the INDIA bloc, he reiterated, "INDIA alliance is (present) and will remain", dispelling doubts about the fate of the alliance formed ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections.
"The BJP has brought the Waqf Amendment Bill so that it can snatch away land. Wherever they see land, they occupy it," he said and called the BJP "land mafia party".
He accused the ruling party of "snatching" people's money through demonetisation and GST and of diminishing reservation rights.
Yadav also promised an investigation into "mismanagement" in the Maha Kumbh, if his party comes to power in 2027 elections.
The SP chief claimed the government provided inaccurate figures regarding casualties and financial gains during the event, and alleged that drones and CCTV surveillance failed during the January stampede.
"When drones and CCTVs were needed the most (at the time of the stampede), they were either closed or were shut down," he claimed.
Yadav also accused the government of pressuring the relatives of stampede victims to change the cause of death.
Regarding SP MP Ramji Lal Suman's controversial statement on Rana Sanga, Yadav said, "The history which shows each other as superior and inferior, the history which stops our progress, that history should be allowed to remain."
Yadav provided journalists with a booklet of his suggestions for the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh 2025, originally posted on social media, and a Harvard University study on the 2013 Prayagraj Kumbh Mela.
He was in Prayagraj to attend the wedding of SP state president Shyam Lal Pal's daughter.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
