Wary of defeat, ‘dream merchants’ attacking EC to mislead public: UP minister Swatantra Dev Singh

In a scathing attack on Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, Jal Shakti Minister in the Uttar Pradesh government Swatantra Dev Singh on Sunday said that leaders have become desperate on social media due to continuous defeats.

“Frustrated by their defeat, these ‘dream merchants’ are now attacking the Election Commission to mislead the public. It would be better if Akhilesh Yadav, who frequently invokes democracy, first clears the tainted history of his party and rule, as people have not forgotten it,” he said.

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Responding to Akhilesh’s allegations against the Election Commission, Swatantra Dev Singh retorted that Akhilesh Yadav is not the messiah of democracy, but the heir of SP’s ‘goonda raj’.

“Akhilesh is not concerned about democracy; he is more concerned about power. The public knows everything — SP stands for goonda raj and BJP for good governance. The desperate prince now wants to save his sinking boat by pointing a finger at the Election Commission. By blaming the Commission for his defeat, he seeks to project himself as the people’s leader, whereas the reality is that he lost people’s trust long ago, ” the minister said in a statement on Sunday.

Swatantra Dev Singh said the history of the Samajwadi Party is marked by booth capturing, voter list manipulation, and electoral violence. “From 2012 to 2017, there was no democracy in UP, only goonda raj. During the Mainpuri elections in 2009, the police were attacked at a booth in the presence of a senior SP leader, yet no FIR was registered. This is the real face of SP — does Akhilesh want to bring back that era?” he asked.

He said Akhilesh Yadav’s allegations are completely false and baseless. The Election Commission investigated and found no evidence to support the allegations. “When the Election Commission calls the SP, they fail to present their views. They do not raise them in Parliament either. Even the Supreme Court has reprimanded those who question the Election Commission. Yet these leaders peddle white lies on social media. The reality is that, frustrated by defeat, Akhilesh is pointing fingers at the EC to hide his failures,” he added.

The minister stated that the Election Commission functions independently and transparently today. Reforms such as VVPAT, digital platforms, and strict monitoring have ended the SP’s booth-capturing politics once and for all. “This is why Akhilesh Yadav is restless and conspiring to defame the Commission,” he remarked.

He said that during the SP rule, incidents of booth capturing, fake voting, and pressure on the administration were common in assembly and panchayat elections. “At that time, election violence in many districts led to deaths and serious clashes. Criminals and strongmen became part of the election process, and mafia dons openly captured polling booths, snatching away people’s right to vote. The SP has a tradition of pressuring the Election Commission to prevent it from functioning properly. Similarly, there were repeated complaints of voter list manipulation by pressuring administrative officers,” he added.