Going solo helped expose BJP’s ‘darker side’: Akhilesh

SP wrested two seats from BJP and BSP, retained Rampur

The decision by the Opposition parties to go solo in the Uttar Pradesh bypolls has helped expose the BJP’s “darker side” and effectively conveyed the message of its “failure”, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said.

Fresh from the SP’s victory in the bypolls, Mr. Yadav also said that he will revamp the party soon.

The SP turned out to be a major gainer in the U.P. Assembly bypolls for 11 seats, wresting a seat each from the ruling BJP and the BSP, while the NDA got eight, one less than it held.

Hitting out at the BJP, Mr. Yadav said the people voted against the party and the politics of hatred, casteism and corruption.

“The BJP used to shield itself from its failure on issues related to the common man by making allegations whenever we formed an alliance to take on the party jointly. They used to say that all political parties have ganged up against the BJP and the message of their failure could not be properly conveyed,” Mr. Yadav told PTI in his first interview after the bypoll outcome.

‘Reality of BJP’

“Now the same thing is being said by Opposition parties separately and people have got to know the darker side of the BJP as it could not counter the Opposition onslaught. The more people know the reality of the BJP, the more they will get disenchanted with it,” the SP president said.