Akhilesh Yadav Calls Bankipur Bypoll Result a "Return Gift" to BJP, Congratulates Congress on Datia Victory

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday asserted that the Bankipur and Datia bypolls were conducted fairly, arguing that the BJP's defeat reflected public sentiment because, according to him, the ruling party did not resort to any "foul play." Addressing reporters outside Parliament, Yadav claimed the BJP had used the elections to gauge the level of public dissatisfaction. He also congratulated the Congress on its victory in Datia, saying Samajwadi Party workers in Madhya Pradesh had backed their INDIA bloc ally during the contest.

Calling the results a "return gift" to the BJP after 12 years, Yadav alleged that the party often relied on unfair tactics in elections. He claimed that if the BJP had contested these bypolls in the same manner it allegedly did in states like Uttar Pradesh or West Bengal, the outcome could have been different.

According to Yadav, the BJP deliberately allowed the elections to be conducted without using police influence or manipulating electronic voting machines (EVMs) in order to understand the extent of public anger. He argued that the verdict should not be viewed as a simple electoral defeat but as an indication of the support the BJP could secure in a contest free from alleged irregularities.

The SP chief said he was pleased that voters in Datia had supported the INDIA bloc. He added that he had spoken with Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari and claimed that Samajwadi Party workers in the state had actively extended support to the Congress campaign.

In the Bankipur Assembly bypoll, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor secured a significant victory over Neeraj Kumar, winning a constituency widely regarded as a BJP bastion. Meanwhile, in Datia, Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh defeated BJP nominee Ashutosh Tiwari by a margin of 6,016 votes.

The BJP, however, registered a comfortable victory in Majalpur, Gujarat, where its candidate Satendrabhai Patel defeated Congress rival Bhikhabhai Rabari by 30,630 votes. Reacting to his victory, Prashant Kishor described the Bankipur bypoll result as a clear signal from the people of Bihar to the BJP-led NDA. He alleged that voters had expressed their dissatisfaction with Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, claiming the electorate had rejected his leadership, conduct, and public image.