'Harenge To Talenge': Akhilesh Attacks BJP After EC Reschedules UP Bypolls, Oppn Joins Chorus

The Election Commission rescheduled assembly bye-elections to all nine and four seats in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab and one seat in Kerala from November 13 to November 20 in view of festivals. 

The opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh have hit out at the ruling BJP after the Election Commission announced postponing the bypolls to nine seats in Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the postponement was an old trick of the BJP to avoid losing elections. 

"First the Milkipur bye-election was postponed, now the date of bye-elections for the rest of the seats has been rescheduled. The BJP was never so weak," Akhilesh said in a post in Hindi on X. 

Yadav further said that if they (BJP) postpone it, they will lose even worse. 

"The fact is that due to 'maha berozgari' (unemployment) in UP, people who go to different parts of the country for work have come to UP on Diwali and Chhath holidays. They were going to vote in the by-elections to defeat the BJP. As soon as the BJP understood this, it postponed the by-elections, so that people's holidays end and they go back without casting their vote," the former chief minister said. 

The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party also questioned the postponement of polls.  

UP Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi questioned why the Election Commission didn't check the dates before releasing the schedule of the polls.

"The religious and spiritual events... did these events appear on the horizon all of a sudden or were those already scheduled to take place? Did these people (apparently referring to the Election Commission) not cross-check the dates on a festival calendar or 'panchaang'?" Hindvi told PTI.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh also attacked the BJP government saying that the dates will be announced when it is convenient for PM Modi and CM Yogi.

"The dates will be announced when it is convenient for Modi ji and Yogi ji after they are done with inauguration events. If it doesn't suit them, then there will be no Ayodhya election (Milkipur seat). When it is convenient for them, the bye-election dates for Uttar Pradesh will be extended," Singh said. 

He added, "This raises serious questions about the Election Commission, which extended the dates for the Uttar Pradesh bye-elections." 

The Election Commission rescheduled assembly bye-elections to all nine and four seats in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab and one seat in Kerala from November 13 to November 20 in view of festivals. 

Parties including the Congress, BJP, BSP and RLD had urged the poll body to reschedule the polls in view of various festivals, saying that it could impact voter turnout. 

The BJP, BSP, and RLD had said that in UP, people travel for three-four days ahead of Kartik Purnima, which will be celebrated on November 15. 

Responding to the SP chief's allegations, state BJP spokesperson Manish Shukla said the matter was unnecessarily being politicised by the opposition.  

"The bypoll date shift was demanded as the date coincided with Hindu festival. But Samajwadi Party has to do politics in everything. More so in this case as they are least bothered about majoritarian sentiment but about their vote bank," he said. 

Meanwhile, BJP leader Rakesh Tripathi said that the scheduled has been changed since organisations have been demanding so due to Kartik Poornima. 

"Ever since the voting date was announced, mass organisations had been demanding change of schedule due to Kartik Poornima (on Nov 15), fearing lesser voter turnout. The Election Commission took cognisance of people's suggestions, with the intention that maximum votes are cast. Samajwadi Party questioning the intentions of EC... they are frustrated because they are staring at defeat," Tripathi said.

In UP, the nine assembly seats going to polls include Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Karhal (Mainpuri), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Sishamau (Kanpur City), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj) and Kundarki (Moradabad).