Lucknow: People of Uttar Pradesh are waiting to bid goodbye to the BJP government on March 10 when votes will be counted, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said on Saturday welcoming the announcement of the assembly poll schedule for UP and four other states.
He also sought to assure that his party would abide by all the conditions laid down by the Election Commission to ensure Covid-safe polls in the state.
Yadav, however, appealed to the EC to ensure that regional parties also get proper space on digital platforms on which he alleged the BJP was dominating due to its governments in the Centre and UP and its vast financial resources.
He made a plea to the poll panel to assist resource-scared smaller parties infrastructurally to hold virtual rallies during the seven-phase of polling in the state.
“We welcome the announcement of dates for the UP polls. People of the state have been waiting for March 10 to say goodbye to the BJP,” Akhilesh said after the declaration of poll dates starting from February 10 and ending on March 7 in UP.
“March das, aa raha hai Akhilesh,” the SP claimed in a tweet.
On being pointed out that the EC has banned the holding of physical rallies or other modes of the physical campaign till January 15 at least, he said the party would abide by the EC decisions effective till January 15 and also the ones that would be taken after it.
He, however, urged the EC to ensure a level-playing field for the regional parties on digital platforms on which he alleged “BJP hawi hai” (BJP is dominating) because of having the government at the Centre as well as the state and also due to their financial heft.
“The EC should ensure that regional parties also get space on national TV channels, regional channels and social media platforms during the election,” the SP chief said.
Asked if the SP was fearing that it would not be able to compete with the BJP on the digital platforms, Akhilesh asserted “SP is not weak.”
It was the SP government which had distributed laptops to youths during its government in the state between 2012 and 2017.
Hitting out at the BJP, he said the “double engine” government merely spread “lies” all these five years in UP.
“They did nothing for farmers despite promising to double their income. The BJP will be wiped out in the state on March 10,” he said.
Going a step further, the SP claimed on Twitter that “after March 10 people will not have to pay for 300 units of electricity consumed and the bill will be zero up to this limit.”
The SP which lost to the BJP badly in 2017, has allied with the RLD and some caste-centric regional parties to defeat the saffron party in the 2022 polls.