Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Alliance here to ensure mahaparivartan, says Akhilesh

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday filed his nomination for the Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat held by his father and party’s chief patron Mulayam Singh Yadav

"I went to Mulayam Singh Yadavji and sought his blessings before coming to file my nomination. He worked for the development of Azamgarh. I assure you all that I would also ensure all-round development of the district," he said. 

He added that he shared a strong emotional bond with people of Azamgarh and their love drew him to the city time and again. 

The SP is contesting the Lok Sabha election in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party of Mayawati and the Rashtriya Lok Dal of Ajit Singh.

Yadav said the first phase of parliamentary polls saw “good voting in the favour of alliance” in Uttar Pradesh.

The second phase (held on Thursday) would also be favourable for the alliance, he said.

“The people of Azamgarh will give their blessings to Samajwadis (socialists),” he said before heading to Baitholi village of the district for his election rally.  Azamgarh goes to polls in the sixth phase on May 12. The BJP has fielded Bhojpuri actor-singer Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’ from Azamgarh.

At the rally, the SP chief hit back at the ruling BJP for calling the SP-BSP-RLD alliance Mahamilavat.

“The alliance is here to ensure mahaparivartan (momentous change), while the BJP alliance is mahamilavat,” Yadav said. Bahujan Samaj Party general secretary Satish Mishra  accompanied the SP president during the rally. 

Calling himself a doodhwala (milkman), the SP chief targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi  and chief minister Yogi Adityanath without naming them even once in his 40-minute speech.

In an apparent reference to the PM, he said the ‘chowkidar chaiwala’s’ tea turned out to be in bad in taste because he didn’t have pure milk.

“We have pure milk. I want to say that if they are chaiwala, we are doodhwale  (milkmen),”  he said.

In a veiled reference to the Adityanath government’s so-called encounter policy, he used the term ‘thokidar’ and alleged many innocent people were targeted.

“Therefore, remove both chowkidar chaiwala and thokidar,” he said.

Criticising the ruling coalition on different issues such as unemployment and problems of shiksha mitras among others, he said the BJP claimed it would make New India but this would happen only when there was a new prime minister.

“This election is very important. Ensure that there is a new prime minister,” he said.

Taking a jibe at the Modi government’s civil aviation policy, he said the BJP used to claim that it would enable even those wearing slippers to travel by plane but now airline companies were in the doldrums.

Accusing the BJP of making false promises and hatching conspiracies, he said unemployment grew the fastest under the present government which “also failed to bringing back black money from abroad”.

Criticising Adityanath, he said the baba chief minister (a reference to Yogi being a monk) resorted to retendering of the Samajwadi Purvanchal Expressway “which I planned to construct to ensure development across eastern UP, including Azamgarh. Akhilesh said the ‘baba chief minister’ also created false propaganda that he cut the project cost. He didn’t cut the cost but he lessened the beauty of the expressway.”

Akhilesh promised that on coming back to  power, he would complete the projects.

Asserting that socialists were matchless in ensuring development, he promised to address problems of shiksha mitras and anganwadi workers.

Paying tribute to noted litterateur Rahul Sankirtayan, Maulana Shibli Nomani and poet Kaifi Azmi, all of whom were born in Azamgarh, he said they spread the message of peace and love across the globe.

Nomination procession attracts huge crowd 

A huge crowd participated in the nomination procession of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Azamgarh on Thursday. The party supporters came from remote areas of the Lok Sabha constituency to be present on the occasion.

“I belong to Mubarakpur and I am a supporter of the SP chief. I reached Azamgarh in the morning to participate in the nomination procession,” Ashok Yadav, one such supporter, said. 

Arvind Sahney, an electrician, said, “Netaji (Mulayam) and Akhilesh Bhaiya did a lot of work in the district. The Sathiaon sugar mill came up when Akhileshji was chief minister of UP. The sugar mill helped cane growers in and around the district in a big way because they can sell their produce here.” 

Azamgarh, an SP bastion

HT Correspondent

AZAMGARH: Azamgarh is considered a Samajwadi Party bastion. Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav won the seat in 2014, defeating BJP candidate Ramakant Yadav, who recently joined the Congress. 

Mulayam Singh Yadav secured 35.43% votes, Ramakant Yadav polled 28.85% and BSP candidate Shah Alam got 27.75% votes. The Congress polled 1.87% votes and Rashtriya Ulema Council (RUC) leader Amir Rashid Madani secured 1.38% votes.

Azamgarh recorded 56.38% voter turnout in 2014.

In 2009, the BJP polled 35.13% votes and its candidate Ramakant Yadav won the seat, defeating BSP candidate Akbar Ahmad Dumpy who polled 28.18% votes. Samajwadi Party candidate Durga Prasad Yadav had polled 17.57% votes. Ramakant Yadav also won the seat for the SP in 1996 and 1999. He retained the seat in 2004 but as a BSP candidate. In the 2008 by-election, BSP’s Akbar Ahmad Dumpy won the seat.

This time, the SP, the BSP and the RLD are in an alliance.

There have been 18 MPs from Azamgarh constituency in 16 general elections and two by-elections. Of the 18 MPs from Azamgarh, 12 have been Yadavs. 

Caste equations favour Yadavs in Azamgarh where the upper castes constitute 2.90 lakh voters, OBCs 6.80 lakh, Dalits 4.50 lakh and minorities 3.10 lakh.