Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, who was present during the nomination filing of his cousin Tej Pratap Yadav for Karhal assembly bypoll on Monday, expressed confidence that Tej Pratap would win by a significant margin.

“The people of Mainpuri have always supported the SP and Netaji (Late Mulayam Singh Yadav). The people of Karhal have consistently chosen the Samajwadi Party. This time, there will be even more support in the elections than before, leading to a historic result,” he stated while speaking to the media.

Criticizing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the SP President remarked that the BJP is afraid of the PDA alliance in the by-elections.

“Now, the BJP has even forgotten to mention the PDA,” he said, adding that the BJP has stalled the development initiated during the SP’s tenure.

“After losing the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP was distressed, believing itself to be above all institutions. Now, it is engaging in land grabs,” he added.

He further accused the BJP of deliberately inciting riots in Bahraich.

“The reason is clear: the elections are approaching, and they seek to gain a communal advantage. The BJP orchestrated this conspiracy for political gain. Adequate administration and police arrangements were not made during the festival in Bahraich, leading to the violence,” he claimed.

Akhilesh Yadav also said that the BJP can arrest whomever it wants, even journalists. In response to a question, he affirmed that the BJP cannot misuse official machinery in front of the people of Karhal.

Regarding the ticket distribution and Congress’s discontent with receiving only two seats in the bypolls, he stated, “It is a mutual matter, and we will find a solution.”

He also claimed that the BJP was losing in its internal survey for the Milkipur assembly seat in Ayodhya, which led to the elections being postponed. “Despite the Chief Minister’s repeated visits to Milkipur, there was no change,” he noted.

“BJP cannot deliver justice to anyone. This time, the public will hold them accountable. This government belongs to the people, and they are abandoning the BJP. By defeating them in the by-elections, the public will pave the way for their exit,” he declared.

Prof Ram Gopal Yadav also asserted, “There is no contest in Karhal by-election. We are going to win by a large margin.” Responding to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) fielding a Shakya candidate, he remarked that the BSP would only act as directed by the BJP, which would have no impact. He also questioned the government’s actions in Bahraich.

Former MP Tej Pratap Singh Yadav, Akhilesh’s cousin and the son-in-law of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, has filed his nomination.

The BJP has yet to announce its candidate for Karhal, with October 25 as the last date for filing nominations. Polling for the Karhal seat is scheduled for November 13.

The Karhal assembly seat is adjacent to Saifai, the village of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. SP has held dominance in this area since the time of Mulayam Singh Yadav, with the entire Saifai family having deep roots here.

The SP has won this Yadav-dominated seat six out of the seven times since 1993, with BJP winning only once, in 2002.

In the last four elections, the SP has consistently defeated its opponents. In 2022, Akhilesh Yadav contested his first assembly election from this seat, where the BJP fielded Union Minister SP Baghel, who lost by more than 67,000 votes.

The Karhal bypolls were necessitated after Akhilesh Yadav was elected from Kannauj in the Lok Sabha polls.