NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party (SP) president
Akhilesh Yadav on Friday criticised the Election Commission of (EC), alleging that the poll body has become the “Jugaad Commission” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Yadav arrived in Bihar to join the 16-day Voter Adhikar Yatra, led by Congress leader
Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader
Tejashwi Yadav, where the three of them then continued the Mahagathbandhan's 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra', in Siwan.
“I have come here to join the Voter Adhikar Yatra. I would like to congratulate the people of Bihar for supporting the Yatra. The voice of Bihar is being heard across the country. The BJP is going to go out of Bihar this time. They have subverted the rights in the Constitution,” Yadav told ANI in Patna.
Taking a dig at the ECI, he added, “The rights, which are ours of voting, I am happy that the people of Bihar, Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi took out the yatra and have done the work of going to conduct an SIR on the Election Commission, which has become a 'Jugaad Commission' of the BJP.”
He further alleged that the Election Commission was engaged in "manipulating (jugaad) elections in favour of the ruling BJP" and vowed that “all workers of our INDIA bloc shall ensure that names of voters do not remain wrongfully deleted from the electoral rolls. During the polls, they would also ensure that people are able to cast their votes without fear or intimidation”.
In a post on X, senior Congress leader K C Venugopal welcomed Yadav’s participation, calling him a “steadfast ally” in the fight against the BJP. “This morning, former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav Jee joined the Voter Adhikar Yatra in Saran. Welcomed him to this historic movement to protect democracy. He has been a steadfast ally in our fight against the BJP's destruction of our democracy, and a strong voice for the poor and underprivileged in UP and across the country,” Venugopal said, sharing photographs of Yadav meeting Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav.
Earlier on Friday, the Voter Adhikar Yatra reached Bihar’s Siwan district, where large crowds greeted Congress and RJD leaders. Speaking at the rally, Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the BJP, accusing the party of vote theft.
“BJP leaders are now jumping around uncontrollably - because they have been caught red-handed in theft. Now, we saw the thievery in Mahadevapura, but in the future, you will see other instances, Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka, all these places, we will show the BJP's Narendra Modi's thievery. That is why all the BJP politicians are jumping up and down,” he said.
Veiled dig at RSS chief
While addressing a rally in Ara town, Yadav took a jibe at RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who had recently claimed that the people of India have had “the same DNA for 40,000 years.”
“We have been saying that our fight for social justice is 5,000 years old. But only recently we got to learn that it dates back to 40,000 years," Yadav said, tongue in cheek.
He added, as quoted by PTI, “So, we must pull up our socks. We speak about 5,000 years of social inequality. But they (BJP-RSS) assert that the existing order is 40,000 years old. In the last year’s Lok Sabha polls, the BJP was beaten in Awadh (UP). It is now time to drive them out from Magadh (Bihar).”
Bhagwat had made the statement earlier this week at a function celebrating the centenary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), where he also asserted that “everyone in Akhand Bharat is a Hindu.”
Turning to national politics, Yadav accused the BJP-led Centre of “trying to intimidate us” but said it was “getting scared of (US President Donald) Trump” following the steep hike in US tariffs. “It seems the tariffs have been slapped on the mouths of the BJP as well,” he quipped.
The Voter Adhikar Yatra, covering over 1,300 km across 20 districts, aims to raise awareness about alleged irregularities in the voter list, which opposition leaders have termed a case of ‘vote chori’ (vote theft). It is scheduled to conclude in Patna on September 1.
Bihar Assembly elections are expected later this year, although the Election Commission has not yet announced the official schedule.
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