Akhilesh calls bypoll results BJP’s ‘12-year return gift’; Lalan Singh says defeats are part of politics

Published 4 August 2026 · politics

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday (August 4, 2026) described the Assembly byelection results as a “12-year return gift” to the Bharatiya Janata

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday (August 4, 2026) described the Assembly byelection results as a “12-year return gift” to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming the outcome reflected the ruling party’s actual public support when elections were conducted fairly. Speaking to reporters in Parliament, Mr. Yadav alleged that the BJP had suffered because it did not resort to the methods it had allegedly adopted in previous bypolls. “There is not much left for the BJP workers, and this is a 12-year return gift to the Bharatiya Janata Party,” he said while reacting to the results from Bankipur and Datia bypolls. Referring to earlier byelections in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, Mr. Yadav alleged that the BJP had previously relied on the police administration and other unfair means to influence electoral outcomes.

“If the BJP had fought this election the way it did in Kundarki, Rampur or other byelections, it would not have lost. This is not a defeat in the usual sense; it shows how many votes the BJP gets when elections are conducted fairly,” he said, alleging that the latest polls were conducted without dishonesty or EVM scams. However, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, popularly known as Lalan Singh, dismissed the criticism, saying electoral victories and defeats were a routine part of democracy. “It is not the first time that any ruling party has lost a byelection. In politics, it happens,” the Union Minister said. Asked about the rise of newer political formations other than traditional political parties, Mr. Yadav said the “mainstream media” should introspect instead of political parties.

On mainstream media “The mainstream media should be concerned that the ‘main street’ moved ahead of you. People on the ground reached places where you could not,” he said, while reiterating that the BJP had “tested itself” by holding what he termed a fair election. He also remarked that he had heard sweets were being distributed within the BJP despite the bypoll setbacks, questioning the reason behind the celebrations. On the Datia bypoll, the SP chief said his party had extended support to the Congress because of the geographical proximity between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi region. Backs Kejriwal on E20 Yadav also backed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s protest against the Centre’s E20 fuel policy, urging automobile manufacturers to explain its benefits directly to consumers.