SP chief targets BJP on development, challenges CM to contest from Ayodhya

By The Hindu Staff

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SP chief targets BJP on development, challenges CM to contest from Ayodhya — Photo credit: The Hindu

LUCKNOW

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday challenged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to contest the upcoming Assembly elections from Ayodhya, claiming that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was “nervous”.

“If the Chief Minister, who makes big claims, is so confident, then he should contest the election from Ayodhya himself,” Mr. Yadav said. He was speaking to reporters in Ayodhya after attending a religious discourse (Shrimad Bhagwat Katha) at the ancestral home of senior SP leader and former Minister Tej Narayan Pandey.

The SP had delivered a major blow to the BJP in the 2024 parliamentary elections by winning the Faizabad (Ayodhya) Lok Sabha seat. SP candidate Awadhesh Prasad had defeated the BJP’s two-term MP Lallu Singh by over 54,000 votes, in what was widely seen as a major political setback.

Poll promises

Accusing the BJP government of carrying out rampant demolitions in the name of development, Mr. Yadav said that if the party comes to power, it would accelerate growth without displacing locals.

Originally published by The Hindu on Oct 9, 2026 Read the full article at thehindu.com

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