New Delhi: Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday trained his guns against the Bharatiya Janata Party saying that he hopes that the party will have a “massive defeat in Gujarat,” reported news agency ANI.
“I hope BJP will have a massive defeat in Gujarat,” said the SP chief while talking to reporters after casting his vote in Saifai for the Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypoll which was necessitated by the demise of his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Alleging the BJP of using the central agencies to its use as a political tool, Yadav said, “BJP must allow the central agencies (Election Commission) to operate freely, BJP is misusing them,” he said.
Speaking on the Mainpuri bypoll, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said that he believes “SP will get a good number of votes.” His wife, Dimple Yadav is contesting the election from the Manipuri seat against BJP’s Raghuraj Singh Shakya, a former confidant of Mulayam's brother Shivpal Singh Yadav.
Second phase of polling is underway in Gujarat for 93 constituencies across 14 districts in the central and north regions of the state.
A total of 833 candidates from 61 political parties, including Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), are contesting the polls in these Assembly segments spread across Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Gandhinagar and other districts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel were among some of the important leaders who exercised their franchise in the ongoing polls.
Some of the important constituencies which are underway polling in the second phase include Ghatlodia (in Ahmedabad district) of CM Bhupendra Patel, Viramgam seat (also in Ahmedabad) from where Patidar leader Hardik Patel is fighting on the BJP's ticket, and Gandhinagar South from where Alpesh Thakor is fighting as the saffron party candidate.
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Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani is contesting as the Congress candidate from Vadgam seat in Banaskantha district, and Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly Sukhram Rathva is the nominee from Jetpur in Chhota Udepur district.
Polling is also underway for byelection to seven seats, one Lok Sabha and six Assembly seats, in five states of the country. Manipuri Lok Sabha seat, Rampur Sadar and Khatauli Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, Kurhani Assembly seat in Bihar, Padampur Assembly seat in Odisha, Bhanupratappur in Chhattisgarh, and Sardarshahar in Rajasthan are undergoing polls.