Akhilesh Yadav thanks Mayawati after UP bypolls win

Lucknow: Thanking Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati after emerging victorious in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said that people of Uttar Pradesh have replied to the misgovernance of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"Saffron party mocked SP-BSP alliance but people have shown faith in it. This time BJP's communal card has backfired it," said former UP CM addressing media persons here.

Ignoring Congress, which contested in the two seats, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister thanked other parties and leaders including the Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh, Nishad Party, Peace Party and the Left parties for their contribution in his party's victory.

He also raised questions over the functioning and integrity of the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and said that the margin of victory would have been "in lakhs, not in thousands" had the voting been done through paper ballots.

What else Akhilesh Yadav said?

• This government has created fear and spread poison among the people
• If this is the anger of people in areas of and CM (Yogi Adityanath) deputy CM (Keshav Parasad Maurya), you can imagine the anger of the people of the rest of the country
• BJP has called us a lot of names; from a rat and snake combine to Aurangzeb’s rule. This is a reply to that.
• This win is a victory of social justice.

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