Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Akhilesh Yadav claims his party will beat BJP in Uttar Pradesh election

Akhilesh Yadav claims his party will beat BJP in Uttar Pradesh election

A regional Indian party has claimed it will unseat Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in provincial elections in Uttar Pradesh state, the most crucial test for Modi before a general election in two years.

The Hindu nationalist BJP has maintained it will retain power in the bellwether state, which with more than 200 million people is India's most populous.


"We are going to form the government and our party is going to win a large number of seats," Akhilesh Yadav, the head of the secular Samajwadi or Socialist Party, said on the sidelines of a rally in Varanasi district, which is Modi's parliamentary constituency.

"We have the people's full support, which is very much visible," he said, as a crowd of about 10,000 people, many wearing the party's trademark red cap, chanted "Akhilesh, Akhilesh".

Opinion polls conducted before voting began in the seven-stage election last month had mostly predicted the BJP will return to power in Uttar Pradesh. However, such polls are not always accurate in India and exit polls can only be published after voting is concluded on Monday (7).

Counting in the Uttar Pradesh and four other state elections will begin on Thursday (10).

The results from the state elections, particularly Uttar Pradesh, will be a barometer of the popularity of Modi's BJP, which has been under fire for failing to deal with a wave of pandemic deaths last year and for a sluggish economy.

Also at stake is the future of current Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, a robe-wearing Hindu monk who is seen as a possible successor to Modi.

A senior Samajwadi Party member, who did not want to be named, said Yadav's confidence of winning was based on surveys conducted by the party.

The BJP has said it will retain Uttar Pradesh because of policies like giving free staples to the poor during the Covid-19 crisis, as well as its popularity among the majority Hindus.

"Akhilesh Yadav is building a castle in the air," said BJP spokesperson Sameer Kumar Singh. "His claim of winning the election is baseless. People are again going to vote for the BJP."

'Improved law and order condition'

Praveen Rai, a political analyst with the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, said the crowds the Samajwadi Party was drawing did not necessarily indicate it would win.

"There is a pro-incumbency (wave) in the state and one major reason behind that is the improved condition of law and order," he said. "People from every caste and religion want that."

But other analysts have said Samajwadi has put together a strong coalition of smaller groups that command a following in various parts of the state and among separate communities, something that the BJP itself did at the last state election in 2017 when it won 312 of the 403 seats.

Rajani Ranjan Jha, a retired professor of social sciences at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, said it was difficult to predict a winner because there was no apparent wave in favour of the BJP like at the last election.

"Akhilesh Yadav is definitely in a strong position because of a bit of anti-incumbency against the Yogi government and his strong performance in the western region of the state," he said.

One of the parties in Yadav's coalition is the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), a farmers' party in western Uttar Pradesh. The party was among those in the year-long farmers' protest that forced Modi to repeal three farm reform laws in November, a rare climbdown by the combative leader that some analysts have said will affect his party's popularity.

"We are confident of winning because the people of the state have gone through a lot of suffering," said RLD president Jayant Chaudhary.

(Reuters)

More For You

Air India flight crash

Debris of Air India flight 171 is pictured after it crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad on June 13, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Air India crash: Black box found as India investigates London-bound flight disaster

INVESTIGATORS have recovered the black box from the site of Thursday’s Air India crash in Ahmedabad, where a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London’s Gatwick airport went down shortly after takeoff, killing at least 265 people, including those on the ground.

The aircraft issued a mayday call shortly before crashing into a residential area around lunchtime. The plane had barely lifted 100 metres from the ground before it came down, with its tailpiece left protruding from the second floor of a hostel for medical staff from a nearby hospital.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi recalls 'shoulder to shoulder' bond with Vijay Rupani

Narendra Modi meets family members of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, who died after an Air India plane carrying him and 241 others crashed in Ahmedabad. (@narendramodi via PTI Photo)

Modi recalls 'shoulder to shoulder' bond with Vijay Rupani

INDIA's prime minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to his longtime colleague Vijay Rupani, the former Gujarat chief minister who died in Thursday's (12) devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.

Speaking after meeting Rupani's family on Friday (13), Modi said it was "unimaginable" that his old friend was no longer with them.

Keep ReadingShow less
Iran-Israel-Getty

Smoke rises from a location allegedly targeted in Israel's wave of strikes on Tehran, Iran, on early morning of June 13, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Israel strikes Iran nuclear sites, top military officials killed

ISRAEL carried out a series of airstrikes on Iran on Friday, targeting nearly 100 locations, including nuclear sites and military command centres. The strikes killed senior officials, including the armed forces chief and top nuclear scientists, according to Iranian reports.

In response, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel would face a "bitter and painful" outcome. The Iranian military said there would be "no limits" to its response.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air-India-crash-site-Getty

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel inspect the site after Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad, on June 13, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Air India crash: Rescue teams search site where at least 265 died

RESCUE teams with sniffer dogs searched the crash site on Friday after an Air India flight heading to London crashed into a residential area in Ahmedabad, killing at least 265 people on board and on the ground.

The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed on Thursday. One person survived the crash, which left the tail of the aircraft lodged in the second floor of a hostel housing medical staff from a nearby hospital.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jamie and Fiongal Meek

Known for their calming presence and warm guidance

Instagram/ wellnessfoundry

Air India crash: Spiritual guides Jamie and Fiongal among victims

Jamie Meek and his husband Fiongal Greenlaw‑Meek, both based in London, are believed to be among the victims of the Air India Express flight that crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon.

The couple, well known within the UK’s spiritual and LGBTQ+ communities, had been travelling in India and had built a strong following through their work at The Wellness Foundry – a platform offering tarot readings, energy healing, and spiritual development. Their gentle presence and guidance had earned them deep respect from followers across the country.

Keep ReadingShow less