New Delhi [India], June 6 (ANI): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday expressed "heartfelt thanks" to Samajwadi Party leaders Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav over the INDIA bloc's historic performance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh.
The SP, under Akhilesh Yadav's leadership, secured a record-breaking 37 seats in Parliament, marking a significant moment in UP politics.
In a post on X Priyanka congratulated SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, his wife Dimple Yadav and SP Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav.
"@yadavakhilesh ji, @dimpleyadav ji, @proframgopalya1 ji, my heartiest congratulations to you and the hardworking workers of Samajwadi Party for the results of UP. We all together fought a historic battle under difficult circumstances. On the ground, the workers of Congress and SP courageously raised their voice for the issues of the people, social justice and the Constitution. Despite all the threats and repression, they united and became the sentinels of democracy and stood at every booth, said Priyanka Gandhi.
The party alone won 37 seats this time, becoming the single largest party in the state, while its ally Congress managed to gain six seats, including regaining its bastion seat of Amethi from BJP's Smriti Irani. Further, another politically important seat of Rae Bareli has been won by Congress with an unprecedented margin.
Meanwhile, the BJP, which won 62 seats during the 2019 elections, managed to hold their positions on 33 seats only, while its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) won two seats and Anupriya Patel-led Apna Dal (S) got one seat.
"Due to the hard work of all of you, the public has shown confidence in our unity and our commitment towards the issues. My heartfelt thanks to all of you. Hail the people. Hail the constitution," added Priyanka.
Notably, INDIA bloc, led by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, did a remarkable performance giving a significant blow to the BJP-led NDA's target of securing '400 seats'.
The BJP victory tally was much lower than its 2019 tally of 303 and the 282 seats it had won in 2014. The Congress, on the other hand, registered a strong growth, winning 99 seats compared to 52 that it had won in 2019 and 44 seats in 2014.
Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav, in a press conference, expressed his gratitude towards the public of Ayodhya for making them victorious in the seat and expressed his views on the formation of the BJP-led NDA government in the centre.
Samajwadi Party chief said, "Lok Sabha Elections in Uttar Pradesh were issues-based and the public of the state has voted on their issues and problems, which led to the massive defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party."
After an unexpected defeat of BJP at Ayodhya, Yadav stated, "BJP could have lost more seats in Uttar Pradesh. They have done atrocities on the public of Ayodhya. The process of land acquisition was manipulated, they made false allegations about people, to grab their lands and didn't provide proper compensation for it. They have done injustice to businessmen as well. They demolished poor families for building a holy site and I believe this is the main reason for the BJP's defeat in Ayodhya. Also, I want to express my gratefulness towards the public of Ayodhya who voted in favour of the Samajwadi Party."
Yadav mentioned, "If someone is trying to gratify other parties, we can also do the same. Expectations in democracy should always thrive."
He also responded to the speculations of BJP-led NDA forming a government at the centre and said, "It's good if they are forming the government. Oath ceremonies are always carried on. They have numbers that's why the President has called them for an oath ceremony. After some time, if another party will have numbers, they can also make government."
Taking a jibe at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he said, "If he is heading towards Delhi, stop him right there and don't send him back to Uttar Pradesh."
This victory marks a significant moment for Akhilesh Yadav and the party leaders as they successfully broke the record for the most seats won in Parliament. In addition to winning the highest number of seats, the party's vote share also saw a significant jump, reaching 33.59 per cent in UP. (ANI)
