Akhilesh Raises Ambedkar Statue Vandalism Claims

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has set a target of increasing the party's vote count by 27,000 in every Uttar Pradesh Assembly constituency ahead of the 2027 elections. He said this would effectively mean reducing the BJP's vote count by the same margin. Speaking after the SP state executive meeting in Lucknow, Yadav called for greater use of technology and door-to-door outreach to understand voters' concerns and address them.

Yadav also criticised the state government over farmers' concerns and raised allegations regarding damage to statues of Dr BR Ambedkar. He claimed that 151 Ambedkar statues had been damaged across 72 districts during the BJP government's tenure, with arrests made in only 14 cases. Yadav also said that if the SP returns to power, it would expand the use of artificial intelligence and remote-sensing technology in agriculture, healthcare, education and crime control.