Lucknow: Challenging the Opposition to hold a discussion in Parliament over allegations of vote theft, Union home minister Amit Shah said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was prepared to respond to every point raised by its political rivals.
Addressing the party’s Uttar Pradesh state working committee meeting in Lucknow on Friday, Shah said the Opposition was blaming the umpire after losing the match.
“Having lost the match, they are now blaming the umpire, alleging that votes were stolen. The BJP is prepared for a discussion in Parliament. Let’s convene a special session. We are ready to address every single point. Let’s discuss in Parliament,” Shah said.
Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had intensified his attack on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on October 27, alleging that votes were being stolen “right from the top level” and that poor people were being deliberately removed from electoral rolls.
The Opposition was united on the issue and would continue its agitation until Kumar resigned or Prime Minister Narendra Modi removed him from the post, he said.
Shah will also participate in a meeting of the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh state working committee, which is being held as the party prepares its organisational roadmap and election strategy ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The Union home minister, UP CM Yogi Adityanath and his deputies Keshav Prasad Maurya, and Brajesh Pathak, were among the prominent leaders attending the meeting, as reported by News18.
Discussions are expected to focus on strengthening the party’s organisational structure, reviewing grassroots outreach and setting priorities for the upcoming Assembly elections.
Uttar Pradesh minister Danish Azad Ansari said the party would work towards implementing its vision on the ground and securing another victory in the 2027 Assembly elections, ahead of Shah’s address.
“Today there is a big meeting of the executive committee. Whatever BJP’s vision is, we will move forward to implement it on the ground and win with a full and thumping majority in 2027. In 2027, the lotus is going to bloom again in Uttar Pradesh. The Samajwadi Party will be completely wiped out in 2027,” Ansari said.
Deputy CM Pathak also highlighted the importance of the meeting, saying Shah would inaugurate the proceedings and provide guidance to the party’s organisational structure in the state.
“Today, the BJP is holding its working committee meeting in Uttar Pradesh. Home minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the proceedings and provide fresh energy and guidance to the organisational structure within the state,” he said.
The meeting follows a gathering of the BJP’s state office-bearers at the party headquarters on Thursday, where the agenda, key issues and arrangements for Friday’s meeting were finalised.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Aradhana Misra-Mona criticised the BJP ahead of the state working committee meeting and called on the party to review its performance in the recent Legislative Council elections.
The BJP should assess the electoral outcome and focus on issues such as unemployment, inflation, credibility and law and order in Uttar Pradesh, Misra-Mona said.
“They should determine their strategy. After all, it is their own party executive meeting. However, they also need to reflect on the recent MLC elections, which serve as a clear mandate against the BJP,” she said.
People of Uttar Pradesh had made up their minds about the 2027 Assembly elections, the Congress leader said.
“They can devise countless strategies, but the people of Uttar Pradesh have already made up their minds: the formation of an INDI alliance government in 2027 is now a certainty,” Misra-Mona said.
The BJP is preparing to seek a third consecutive term in Uttar Pradesh, having won the 2017 and 2022 Assembly elections under Adityanath.