Akhilesh Yadav hopes Diwali will end ‘misrule’ in Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW: Extending his greetings on Dhanteras, Diwali and Govardhan Puja, Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday wished people of the state safe, healthy and happy festivities. He said festivals of India shed light on the importance of harmony, peace, mutual cooperation and carry a message of love and amity. Akhikesh said all Indian festivals are an occasion to send a message of tranquillity and resolve to lead the society and the nation towards the light of prosperity.
In an official release, the SP chief said the faulty policies of BJP has pushed the farmers, unemployed youths and poor people towards a bleak future and expressed confidence that Diwali — the festival of lights — will lighten up lives of people and end misrule in the state.
Earlier in the day, addressing party workers, Akhilesh attacked the ruling BJP for shifting goalposts and misleading the people .“The BJP has failed to fulfil the promises it had made in their Sankalp Patra (manifesto) like double the income of farmers, provide jobs to unemployed youths and laptops to students,” he said, adding: “Now they have started believing that 2022 assembly polls in UP are actually the elections that are slated to be held in 2024 and hence trying to mislead people.”
He said farmers are feeling helpless as their paddy is lying unsold. Government has fixed Rs 1,940 per quintal for paddy but has not set-up enough procurement centres to purchase the produce of the farmers. As a result, farmers are compelled to sell their produce at much lower rates.
Gross anomalies in voters’ list, SP tells election officer:
A Samajwadi Party delegation led by state president Naresh Uttam Patel met the Chief Election Officer (CEO) Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday and submitted a memorandum pointing out gross anomalies in preparation of voters’ list for the 2022 assembly polls. The delegation demanded immediate publication of total names and a separate list of names deleted, added and modified in the voters list between January 16, 2020-21 and October 31, 2020-21.
Later the SP state president said around 16.42 lakh names have been deleted from or added to the voters’ list. What raises a question mark in the mind of the voters is not publishing the list of names deleted, added or modified in the list which has been the norm earlier.
This list must be published as per the polling station level and assembly constituency level so that the local residents of that polling station can verify themselves if the corrections were actual and verifiable, he said. In the memorandum, the SP demanded constituency and polling station wise publishing of the names deleted, added and modified in the voters list between January 16, 2020-21 and October 31, 2020-21 so that changes made can be verified physically by the party workers and prospective candidates. He said the list should be published within a stipulated time so that corrections can be pursued well in time before the elections.