Yogi unsure of a party ticket: Akhilesh fresh salvo at UP CM

Political sparring over the contest from Ayodhya continued on Sunday as Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav hit back at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s dare to fight from the seat, saying the party’s candidate was enough to “blow away the arrogance” of the BJP government.

He also took a jibe at Adityanath, pointing out that he had already declared the SP candidate from the seat while the UP CM was “unsure of getting a party ticket”.

The UP chief minister on Saturday accepted a dare by Akhilesh to file his nomination from Ayodhya for the upcoming assembly elections and invited the SP chief to do the same.

Hitting back at the UP CM, Yadav said the his party’s “PDA Prahari” was enough for the contest. “The arrogant people will be blown away by the wind of our ‘Pawan’. Whose ticket was finalised first? It was Pawan Pandey from Ayodhya. The wind of Pawan will not spare this arrogant government,” he said.

The SP has named Tej Narayan alias Pawan Pandey as its candidate for the Ayodhya assembly seat which is currently held by the BJP’s Ved Prakash Gupta.Adityanath represents the Gorakhpur Urban assembly constituency.

Yadav urged the BJP to focus on its own electoral prospects instead of commenting on the SP’s ticket distribution.

“Those whose own tickets are not confirmed are talking about tickets. The chief minister should first get his own ticket confirmed,” Yadav said.

Addressing a gathering at Balrampur on Saturday, Adityanath said, “I invite you (Akhilesh Yadav) to file your nomination from Ayodhya. I will also try my luck there once. The fight should be face-to-face.”

The SP chief also attacked the UP government. “The present government does not respect freedom fighters. We built such a large memorial to Jayaprakash Narayan, but the government is trying to sell it,” Yadav said after garlanding the statue of Jayaprakash Narayan at the Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) in Lucknow.

Responding to a query on the upcoming elections, Yadav said, “Change is certain. Our wind will sweep away arrogant people.”

Yadav also accused the Election Commission of working in collusion with the BJP, and demanded the immediate release of all those detained in the ongoing agitation by the Cockroach Janta Party in Delhi.