Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 12 (ANI): Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday launched a sharp attack against the ruling BJP, alleging widespread electoral fraud across Uttar Pradesh. Citing deep irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, Yadav claimed that the integrity of the voter list has been severely compromised.
“There are lakhs of fake votes in Uttar Pradesh. A single person has as many as ten votes registered. We have identified such fake votes in several assembly constituencies… we will release the list. This implies there are irregularities in the SIR. Crores of rupees were spent on the SIR, and time was wasted… we will not let the BJP get away with this fraud across the 403 seats,” Yadav told reporters.
He also paid tributes to socialist icon Ram Manohar Lohia on his death anniversary in Lucknow. Surrounded by party leaders, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister reaffirmed his party’s commitment to the socialist ideology and announced a renewed focus on translating these principles into grassroots reality.
“On October 12th, we are all remembering Dr Ram Manohar Lohia at his park. We are united here. Like every time, we have got an opportunity to meet you all today. We take a pledge to implement the socialism of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia on the ground. The principles that Dr Ram Manohar Lohia gave are of socialist prosperity, where prosperity and equality come together. Lohia taught us about ‘Sapt Kranti’ (Seven Revolutions), which Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) often spoke about among workers. If there is any kind of discrimination, we will work unitedly to eliminate it,” he said.
Reflecting on the party’s historical foundations, the SP chief invoked the collective legacy of socialist and reformist icons.
“Where Dr Ram Manohar Lohia was against casteism, against the caste system, he showed how secularism comes, how a socialist society is formed, and how every kind of discrimination can be eliminated. Dr Ram Manohar Lohia had prepared a large force of socialists. We hope that by following that path, we have reached here. The constitution of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, the socialism of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, the struggle of Netaji, where the leaders of ‘Sapt Kranti’ and ‘Sampoorna Kranti’ (Total Revolution) are nearby, who worked to build society and give it direction—we remember them, and in the future, we will implement the principles of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia on the ground to build a socialist society, a secular society,” Yadav assured.
Ram Manohar Lohia was an activist in the Independence movement and a socialist political leader. He was a member of the Praja Socialist Party and the Samyukta Socialist Party. In 1962, Lohia contested against former PM Jawaharlal Nehru from Phulpur, but he lost the election. In 1963, he won the bye-election and became an MP from Farukkhabad. Later in 1967, he won the election from the Kannauj constituency.
Yadav remarks come as Opposition leaders and MPs are set to march towards the Supreme Court today morning as part of their ongoing protest over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and their demand for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. Leaders of several INDIA bloc parties are expected to participate in the march and raise their concerns.
Against this backdrop, high security is in place in Central Delhi with barricades at multiple locations. Entry and exit at certain metro stations will also remain closed from 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM on October 12, 2026, for security reasons. The stations are Patel Chowk, Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House, Central Secretariat, Barakhamba Road respectively.
Security personnel have been deployed at Barakhamba Road, near Mandi House. RAF (Rapid Action Force) and CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) personnel are also deployed along with Delhi Police personnel. (ANI)
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