NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday accepted Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav’s challenge to contest the upcoming assembly elections from Ayodhya. Addressing a public meeting in Balrampur, Adityanath invited Yadav to contest against him from the temple town, saying the two leaders should face each other directly.“Akhilesh ji, Ayodhya is our sacred abode. I visit Ayodhya repeatedly to ensure that there is no lapse in its development, and the identity of Uttar Pradesh is not tarnished in any way. It is a centre of our faith and devotion. We go there not to contest elections, but for its development,” Adityanath said.“I invite you to file your nomination from Ayodhya, and I will too, and try my luck there once. Let it be decided! The fight should be face-to-face,” he added.The challenge comes two days after Yadav dared the chief minister to contest from Ayodhya. The SP chief had claimed that the BJP was conducting surveys after his party announced its candidate but had failed to find a suitable nominee for the seat.Adityanath currently represents the Gorakhpur Urban assembly constituency. The Uttar Pradesh assembly elections are expected to be held early next year.
Yogi targets SP over Ayodhya’s development
Adityanath also criticised the previous SP government over its handling of Ayodhya. He alleged that the temple town received only three to four hours of electricity and was littered with heaps of garbage during the party’s tenure.He further claimed that the SP government had imposed restrictions on Ramlila performances and erected barricades in the city.“The same Ayodhya is today writing a new chapter of development while giving shape to a new concept of Ram Rajya,” he said.The political exchange comes after the SP won the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, which covers Ayodhya, in the 2024 general elections. SP candidate Awadhesh Prasad defeated the BJP’s Lallu Singh.
Yogi accuses SP of dynastic politics
At the Balrampur event, Adityanath accused the SP of misgovernance, protecting criminals and failing to provide employment opportunities to young people.“The SP is the party that sold the state and left it in a decrepid condition. That is why I say the real meaning of ‘PDA’ is ‘Pradesh Dubao Alliance’ (sink-the-state alliance),” he said.The chief minister was referring to Yadav’s political slogan, PDA, which stands for pichhde, Dalit and alpsankhyak, or backward classes, Dalits and minorities.Adityanath also accused the SP of dynastic politics. He alleged that the party had failed to give adequate representation to Dalits and backward communities in its Rajya Sabha nominations.He claimed that one of the two seats won by the SP had gone to party leader Ram Gopal Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle, while the other had been given to a wealthy businessman. The SP also nominated industrialist and sports administrator Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani to the Rajya Sabha.
CM highlights jobs and development
Adityanath also accused successive governments led by the Bahujan Samaj Party and the SP of failing to complete a bridge at Mathura Ghat in Balrampur. He claimed that work progressed only after the BJP came to power.The chief minister said his government had provided government jobs to 9.5 lakh young people over the past nine-and-a-half years. He also pledged that Balrampur would not be left behind in development.
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Adityanath said his government had established a system to provide assistance and compensation to families affected by disasters within 24 hours. He added that steps were being taken to ensure prompt compensation in cases of human-wildlife conflict.
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