"Votes were cast in name of dead people": Akhilesh Yadav alleges rigging in Milkipur bypolls

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 15 (ANI): Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh of electoral malpractice in the Milkipur assembly bypolls, alleging that votes were cast in the names of deceased and migrated voters.
Yadav alleged that such 'foul play' might work in one constituency but would not succeed across the state's 403 assembly seats.
"The votes were cast in their name also for the people who have died or have migrated from the constituency... Will officers be deployed on the basis of their caste? This 'chaar soh Bissi' (foul play) can work in one constituency but not in 403 constituencies. We will be even better prepared for the 2027 elections," he told reporters.
Yadav also suggested extending the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj, saying it would help senior citizens take a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam.
He further alleged that the UP government was underreporting the number of attendees at the event. While the state administration has officially recorded 501.1 million (50.11 crore) participants, Yadav claimed the actual number was around 600 million (60 crore).
Yadav earlier alleged that the ruling BJP indulged in large-scale rigging in the Milkipur bypolls.
"But in the Milkipur by-elections, it wasn't an election but a loot. The people have seen it. PDA is seeing that. Those who are saying that they have taken revenge for losing the Ayodhya seat (in Lok Sabha), I want to tell them--you cannot take revenge from Ayodhya," he stated.
The BJP won the Milkipur assembly bypolls, with its candidate Chandrabhanu Paswan securing victory by a margin of 61,710 votes against SP's Ajit Prasad.(ANI)