Lucknow, May 6 (PTI) Days after the thumping victory of the BJP in West Bengal, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday raised doubts about the fairness of the poll process, and demanded that the Supreme Court order the video recording of vote counting to be made public.
“When court proceedings have gone live, why can’t vote counting go live?” Yadav said, addressing a press conference here.
“Why is CCTV not live? Why are they so afraid of it? We demand the Supreme Court immediately take cognisance of the West Bengal polls and put the video of the counting in front of the people of the country,” he said.
Yadav also dismissed SP leader Kironmay Nanda’s statement that he (Akhilesh) did not go to West Bengal, as he had given him feedback that Mamata Banerjee was sure to lose.
“I did not go campaigning anywhere. We (SP) did not have the resources to campaign (in other states). We are here in Uttar Pradesh and take care here,” he said.
Yadav refused to give a direct reply on DMK calling the Congress a “backstabber” after the latter announced it would back Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
“Why should I tell you whom I will rely on or not!” he said.
Asked whether he would contact JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar and TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu, Yadav said, “If Nitish ji recognises me, he will come with us, while he (Naidu) has our ‘cycle’ (election symbol).” Elaborating, he said, “I cannot do anything in this. ‘Utna kad hamara nahi hai’. (I don’t have that stature). At present, our target is UP.” Yadav asserted that when the SP comes to power in Uttar Pradesh, the government in Delhi will go. “We have defeated them in UP, which is why their election mafia will target us. We are alert but will not disclose any strategy to you (media).” He alleged that some elections and bypolls in Uttar Pradesh in recent years had been marred by discrepancies during the counting process.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister alleged that what happened during the election seen in West Bengal could be replicated on a larger scale in Uttar Pradesh, which is up for assembly polls next year.
“What has been experienced in Bengal, they will do even on a bigger scale in Uttar Pradesh. Multi-layered election mafia will work together, do more research and operate in Uttar Pradesh,” he alleged.
“These people have done what they did in West Bengal and the way they influenced the elections and changed the atmosphere — they have now been exposed,” he added.
Yadav had extended support to TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee in the latest West Bengal election.
Asked if he would meet Banerjee, who was dethroned after being in power in the state for 15 years, Yadav said, “I will go to West Bengal.” PTI ABN KIS VN VN
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