Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav Vows To 'Reduce BJP To Zero' In Gorakhpur, Targets Yogi Bastion

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday launched a sharp political attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), declaring that his party would work to reduce the BJP’s tally to “zero” in Gorakhpur, the political bastion of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Addressing party workers and supporters, Akhilesh said the upcoming political battles in Uttar Pradesh would be fought on issues affecting common people, including unemployment, inflation, farmers’ concerns and social justice. He expressed confidence that the opposition could alter the political equation in eastern Uttar Pradesh if voters united behind the SP’s agenda.

The former chief minister also accused the BJP of mixing religion with politics and using religious issues to divert attention from governance challenges. According to Akhilesh, the ruling party focuses on emotional and religious narratives instead of addressing the everyday problems faced by citizens. Similar criticism has been made by the SP chief on previous occasions, where he alleged that the BJP relies on divisive politics rather than development-oriented governance.

Akhilesh reiterated that the SP’s strategy would center on its PDA (Backward, Dalit and Minority) outreach campaign and efforts to mobilize youth, farmers and marginalized communities ahead of future elections. He argued that growing public dissatisfaction with rising prices and job shortages could become a decisive factor in shaping the political landscape.The remarks come amid intensifying political activity in Uttar Pradesh, where both the BJP and opposition parties have begun positioning themselves for the high-stakes 2027 Assembly elections.

Political observers see Akhilesh’s Gorakhpur challenge as a symbolic attempt to directly confront the BJP in one of its strongest regions.

Published on: Thursday, June 18, 2026, 12:03 AM IST