Strong anti-incumbency in UP, situation very good for INDIA: SP's Ram Gopal

Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav Sunday claimed there is strong anti-incumbency in Uttar Pradesh and the INDIA bloc will defeat the BJP in at least 40 seats the ruling party won last time.

Uttar Pradesh goes to the polls on all seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections, beginning on April 19 and ending on June 1. The BJP-led ruling coalition won 64 seats -- BJP 62, Apna Da(S) 2 -- out of the total 80 constituencies in 2019.

"There is a strong anti-incumbency in Uttar Pradesh against both the state and the central governments. The situation of the alliance will be very good in UP and we will win in at least 40 seats the BJP won (last time)," Yadav said to reporters here.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party were in alliance. While the SP secured victory on five seats, the BSP won 10.

This time, the SP has joined the opposition INDIA grouping to fight the BJP-led NDA.

On the electoral bonds issue, the Rajya Sabha member said, "People say that they have ended corruption. But corruption (electoral bonds) bigger than this has never happened in any part of the world. They make ED conduct raids and stop the action once a donation is made."

"Had it been any other country, the government that has given contracts in lieu for donations had been removed," he said.

Speaking on the arrest of BRS leader K Kavitha in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case, Yadav alleged that the ED and CBI only take action against opposition leaders and not against those in the BJP.

Hitting out at the state government, he said, "Yogi Adityanath says there is no unemployment in the state but 68 lakh people applied for 50,000 police jobs. They leak the question papers because they don't want to give a job."

Yadav further claimed that the BJP was misleading the public in the name of Ram. "Taking people to have darshan of Ram Temple has become a qualification to get a ticket in the BJP. Bring as many people as possible to visit Ram temple and get a ticket," he claimed.