On UP poll result, Sharad Pawar's message to Akhilesh Yadav

Sharad Pawar, one of the tallest opposition leaders, on Thursday gave a message to Akhilesh Yadav as the BJP was set to win over 250 seats in Uttar Pradesh. “Akhilesh Yadav is not at fault, he contested on his own. He shouldn't think about the polling results as he has a higher stature in this country. He has fought better than before,” the former union minister was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Yadav was seen as a key challenger to the BJP in the state where the opposition had claimed that an anti-incumbency wave won't let the ruling party return to power. But the BJP was able to easily cross the halfway mark in the first two hours of counting of votes.

In a tweet in Marathi, the former union minister further wrote - "Even though the Samajwadi Party did not get a majority, it has established itself in UP." Akhilesh Yadav's party, along with his allies, are projected to win over 120 of 403 assembly seats in the state. The former chief minister, however, has improved the 2017 tally when his party won just 54 seats.

The BJP, meanwhile, has taken a hit by losing on the number of seats it won in 2017 with its allies (325).

Mamata Banerjee was among other opposition leaders who had expressed support for Akhilesh Yadav earlier. She also campaigned for the 48-year-old leader.

The election results for five states are crucial also because the opposition leaders are trying to bring together an anti-BJP front ahead of the 2024 elections.