Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who inaugurated the UP Bhavan building in Navi Mumbai on Thursday, said that no political party in the country, including the Congress, is ruling out mid-term Lok Sabha polls.
It was Mr Yadav’s maiden visit to the city after gaining power in Uttar Pradesh. He inaugurated the newly-built UP Bhavan near Vashi railway station at Navi Mumbai.
Speaking to the media after the function, the UP CM said, “All the parties are ready to face Lok Sabha election any time.”
Further, referring to the “Bharat Nirman” ad campaign of the Central government, he said, “When I see the ads in the media, I feel that Congress is also ready to face early polls.”
Mr Yadav also hinted that the Samajwadi Party skipping Wednesday’s dinner on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the UPA-II government was entirely his father Mulayam Singh’s decision. “We once attended the dinner while at another time it was cancelled. Regarding last night’s dinner you better ask Netaji (SP supremo Mulayam),” he said. Asked if relations between Congress and SP today were not like what they used to be, he said, “Our support (to UPA) is only to keep communal forces at bay. However, we have put forth our views on issues like corruption and inflation. We Samajwadi people are never in agreement with Congress policies. But, when it is a question of tackling communal forces, we support the Congress. On whether the support will continue or not, our party’s national executive and netaji (Mulayam) will decide.” On the third front, Mr Yadav said, “Wherever there are non-Congress governments, their chief ministers try to ensure that maximum members of their party get elected to Lok Sabha...be it Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh or Bihar. So no one can rule out this possibility. After all, politics is based on situations and numbers.”
The UP CM also met his party’s workers at Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar. He also thanked migrants from UP to help SP win elections in Mumbai.