Samajwadi Party national president and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday robustly defended the nomination of corporate executive Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani for the Rajya Sabha polls, asserting that socialism, as envisioned by Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, demands prosperity and equality that cannot be achieved without industrialists and genuine investment.
Yadav accused the BJP of widespread electoral malpractice, alleging that a large number of Samajwadi Party supporters’ names were deleted from electoral rolls in 2022 and during by-elections. On the Rajya Sabha arithmetic, he announced that the party would name its third candidate only after securing the support of the required number of legislators. Responding to questions on whether socialism and capitalism could go together, Yadav invoked the party’s ideological foundations. “In a democratic setup, the one with the numbers usually wins, but we all know what happened during the last Rajya Sabha elections. Had the BJP not cheated the last time, we would have sent three members to the Upper House,” he claimed, describing the BJP as a dishonest party that resorts to foul play at every level. When asked about talks with BJP MLAs, he quipped that the party was in touch with many but would not be able to adjust them all. In Meerapur, he alleged, police tried to stop women from voting and even pointed revolvers at them, but the women persisted; the SP later honoured them.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s state headquarters in Lucknow, Yadav said he was happy that the Samajwadi Party was sending “a new-generation person with new thinking” to the Upper House. He also said the alliance formed for the Lok Sabha polls would continue for the assembly elections, with seat allocation based on victory potential. He clarified that the party seeks real industries and investments, not the “fake MoUs” and paper claims made by the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh. He said the Election Commission had issued a notice after the party raised the issue and submitted thousands of affidavits, yet many affected voters could not cast their ballots.
