JOIN USSP losers blame election drubbing on 'sabotage'
Samajwadi Party’s meeting on Monday to discuss polls debacle in Uttar Pradesh witnessed noisy scenes as many losing candidates alleged ‘large-scale sabotage’ by senior ministers and party leaders.
Some of the ‘electorally bruised’ Lok Sabha nominees alleged that district authorities did not discharge their responsibilities impartially and collaborated with their political opponents to ensure the victory of opponents.
The meeting attended by all the losing SP nominees, was chaired by party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is also the party’s state unit president, was also present.
Though the media was not allowed, sources in Samajwadi Party (SP) said the candidates did not mince words in targeting a few ministers in Akhilesh cabinet as well as some senior leaders for ‘sabotaging’ their polls.
Candidate from Sambhal seat Shafiq-ur-Rehman Burque accused minister Iqbal Mehmoond of campaigning against him in the constituency. Burque lost to BJP nominee by a small margin of 5,000 votes.
He also charged the district authorities with not being impartial.
Similar complaints were lodged by party’s other candidates from over a dozen seats.
The losing candidates alleged that they did not get any cooperation from the ministers and local party MLAs and had to manage their campaign all by themselves.
Candidate from Sultanpur Shakeel Ahmed, who lost to BJP’s Varun Gandhi, alleged that the local SP MLA Abrar Ahmed Khan had campaigned against him in the polls.
Khan had earlier said Shakeel Ahmed did not have a ‘clean image’ and that he had been involved in ‘extortion’ activities.
Sources said Mulayam gave the candidates a patient hearing and assured them that their complaints would be looked into.
It was believed Mulayam could summon the ministers and other senior leaders to know their views and then decide about the next course of action.
Though the SP had released its list of LS nominees well in advance, the list had to be changed several times following large-scale resentment. The resentment had spilled on to the streets also.
SP nominees said after the meeting that they had been asked by the party chief to go back to their constituencies and continue to work there.
Akhilesh must resign now: Kalyan Singh
Senior BJP leader Kalyan Singh on Monday demanded resignation of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav asking him to take moral responsibility for Samajwadi Party’s debacle in the Lok Sabha polls, report PTI from New Delhi.
“Talking of morality, it does not hold any meaning for Samajwadi Party. People’s mandate went against them. Therefore on principle, Akhilesh Yadav should resign and seek a fresh mandate from the people,” Singh told reporters here after he met RSS functionaries.
The BJP leader criticised the SP-led government calling it virtually ‘non-existent’ and asserted that people have given a clear mandate exuding confidence in his party forming the next government in the state.
Singh alleged that SP indulged in booth capturing in Kannauj and Firozabad constituencies, where the party secured its two parliamentary seats and also noted that BSP and RLD failed to get a single seat in the state.