Democracy at risk if BJP wins 2027 polls, could be India's last elections: Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday alleged that if the BJP wins both the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and the next Lok Sabha polls, "these elections will be the last elections in the country", claiming that democratic institutions were under threat. He asserted that a united opposition is capable of defeating the BJP. Speaking to reporters while travelling from Kasganj to Safai via Mainpuri, Yadav accused the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh of fueling inflation, mismanaging the economy, and creating a power crisis in the state.

Referring to the recent West Bengal Assembly elections, the SP chief alleged that cases were being registered against former West Bengal chief minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee after the polls. Yadav claimed that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had previously withdrawn criminal cases registered against himself and described the targeting of opposition leaders as "dangerous for democracy."

On the topic of opposition unity, Yadav mentioned that the BJP could be defeated if opposition parties collaborated. Responding to a question about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reportedly stating that the party would contest all 403 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, Yadav noted that he had also expressed the intention to contest all seats. He indicated that such statements reflect the preparations of both the SP and the Congress to fight the elections with "double strength." "If the BJP wins both the 2027 UP elections and the next Lok Sabha polls, then these elections will be the last elections in the country", Yadav said.

Yadav accused the BJP of weakening the economy through what he described as flawed policies and said inflation and corruption had exposed the failures of the ruling party's "double-engine government". He also alleged that corruption was rampant and claimed that BJP workers were involved in land-grabbing activities in parts of the state. According to a statement issued by the Samajwadi Party, Yadav alleged that opposition leaders are being harassed through false cases and accused BJP leaders of lowering the standards of political discourse by using inappropriate language