Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav took a swipe at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his announcement that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) would be implemented in Uttar Pradesh if the BJP returns to power in 2027. Reacting to the statement, Yadav remarked, “It took you a long time to arrive, sir.” Shah had made the announcement during a BJP working committee meeting in Lucknow, where he also said the party’s government would remain firm and unshakable, like Angad’s foot.

Akhilesh Calls MLC Election Results a Mandate Against BJP
Yadav was speaking to reporters after welcoming five newly elected Legislative Council members—Kanti Singh, Maan Singh, Ashutosh Sinha, Akash Agarwal and Lal Bihari Yadav—at the SP office. He described the MLC election results as a public mandate against the BJP and claimed that women teachers had united to vote against the ruling party. He said the BJP had lost five seats and alleged that the impact of the results was felt across 50 districts. Yadav also claimed that traders and members of the Brahmin, Vaishya and Kayastha communities were supporting the Samajwadi Party.

BJP Ticket Aspirants May Face Uncertainty, Says SP Chief
The SP president predicted increased unrest within the BJP, claiming that people seeking party tickets would face uncertainty. Taking a swipe at the Chief Minister, he also outlined some of his party’s promises. Yadav said that if the Samajwadi Party forms the government, education from kindergarten to postgraduate level would be provided free of cost. He further promised to upgrade all sports centres across Uttar Pradesh.

Reiterates Demand for Ballot-Based Elections
Yadav reiterated his demand for elections to be conducted through ballot papers, saying the SP would continue raising the issue even if it won all 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. He questioned the Election Commission’s role and raised concerns about voter lists, alleging that votes were cast using fake Aadhaar cards on polling day. He also accused the government of failing to protect citizens’ data and of not having an effective policy to prevent cyber fraud. Yadav claimed that around 26,000 schools had been shut down while 27,000 liquor shops had opened in the state. He further expressed concern that school closures could lead to a reduction of approximately 1.25 lakh teaching posts.