Akhilesh alleges BJP using 'fake' posters to split INDIA bloc, seeks action

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has accused the BJP of putting up posters that he described as "fake" in Lucknow and other districts of Uttar Pradesh, alleging that the campaign is intended to create differences within the opposition INDIA bloc. He demanded action against municipal officials for allegedly allowing the display without payment of prescribed fees.

In a post on X, Mr Yadav said the BJP is worried about the opposition alliance. He claimed the posters had been put up without official permission or payment of the required charges. He demanded that the municipal officials concerned be suspended for failing to act against those responsible. He alleged that the unauthorised display is causing revenue loss to local bodies and that non-payment of fees could be aimed at concealing the identities of those behind the campaign. Mr Yadav said the SP is maintaining a date-wise record of such incidents and of the officials responsible.

The posters and hoardings carried the slogan "200 seat haq hai hamara, UP ko hai Rahul Gandhi par bharosa" — roughly, "Our right is 200 seats; Uttar Pradesh trusts Rahul Gandhi" — and featured images of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and local leaders. They appeared as the Congress and the SP negotiate seat-sharing for next year's Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The posters highlight the Congress' push for about 200 seats, though not many within the SP are convinced of the party's political heft to demand so many seats, according to sources familiar with the talks.

Mr Yadav also said that if voted to power, an SP-led PDA government would take action against officials involved in corruption and activate the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Economic Offences Wing to examine their conduct. PDA is an acronym coined by Mr Yadav for "Pichhde" (backward classes), Dalits and "Alpsankhyak" (minorities).

Congress' Uttar Pradesh in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam said the INDIA bloc is united and its fight is aimed at protecting social justice, democracy and the Constitution. In a post on X, Mr Gautam said the BJP can spread confusion or hatch conspiracies, but it will not be able to break or even harm the opposition alliance. "The INDIA bloc is united, and it will remain united," he said.

After delays, the Congress has officially initiated seat-sharing talks with the Samajwadi Party for next year's Uttar Pradesh elections, submitting an initial list of more than 175 seats where the party feels it can make an impression in an alliance. The list was shared with SP leaders a few days ago, Mr Gautam told PTI, adding that leaders of the two parties will soon hold a detailed discussion on the nature of the seat-sharing arrangement. "I can't give you the exact numbers, but we have submitted a list for 175 to 200 seats," Mr Gautam told PTI, hinting that the party is open to negotiations ahead of the polls to the 403-member Assembly.

In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh polls, the Congress contested on its own but won just two seats, faring worse than its seven-seat show in 2017. The 2024 Lok Sabha poll results, when the Congress won six seats in alliance with the SP, which won 37 seats and limited the BJP to 33, have raised the party's hopes, Congress leaders said.