Lucknow: Amid posters put up by unidentified people across the state calling Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav a “Katiyabaaz,” Uttar Pradesh Energy Minister AK Sharma has also launched a strong attack on the SP.
Speaking on the power situation during the SP government, the minister said, “The previous regime had completely damaged the state’s electricity system.” He alleged that during SP rule, leaders, goons and mafias were given an open licence to steal electricity through illegal connections.
AK Sharma said, “Akhilesh Yadav had “planted babool” in the entire electricity ecosystem of the state during his tenure.”
The Energy Minister made his strongest remarks on electricity theft during SP rule. He claimed leaders and their close associates were openly allowed to provide free electricity through illegal hooking during SP rule.
“Their goons and mafias had become distributors everywhere. They themselves stole electricity and also got others to do the same,” he said.
He also stated that organised power theft took place in districts like Sambhal and Mathura, but the Yogi government acted strictly against such offenders and brought the situation under control.
The minister informed, “Transformers, wires and poles installed during the SP government were of very poor quality and frequently failed.” He added that the state is still facing problems due to damaged wires and weak poles left behind by the previous government.
He said, “The Yogi government has made major improvements in the power sector over the past few years and is continuously working to strengthen the electricity infrastructure under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.”
He further added, “Yogi government took responsibility for correcting these corrupt systems. Through technological upgrades and digital systems, human intervention has been reduced to curb corruption and provide relief to consumers.”
AK Sharma alleged that the SP government was also involved in irregularities in power purchase deals. He said the SP government signed agreements to buy electricity at rates even higher than current prices.
According to him, people of the state are still suffering because of those decisions and will continue to bear the burden in the coming years. He also claimed that recruitments were done without merit and through unfair methods, which strengthened corruption in the department. Such employees, he claimed, started exploiting consumers from the very beginning and corruption spread at every level.
AK Sharma also accused the SP government of irregularities related to the provident fund of electricity department employees. He claimed thousands of crores of rupees were invested wrongly, putting employees’ money at risk. He said this led to insecurity and corruption among power employees.
Highlighting the achievements of the Energy Department, the government claimed that district headquarters are now receiving 24-hour power supply, tehsil headquarters 22 hours and rural areas 20 hours. From 2017 to November 2025, 15.87 lakh new distribution transformers were installed and 765 new 33/11 KV substations were built. The state’s peak power demand has reached 31,486 MW.
The government said 1.65 crore new electricity connections were provided, more than 59 lakh smart meters installed, and over 26,000 kilometres of transmission lines expanded. Under the Saubhagya scheme, more than 2.86 crore families benefited, while electricity connections were also provided to a large number of private tube wells in rural
