Akhilesh Yadav Accuses Election Commission of Acting at BJP’s Behest

Akhilesh Yadav Election Commission remarks in Lucknow intensified the political row over the functioning of the poll body, with the Samajwadi Party chief alleging that bureaucrats, officials and the Election Commission were working at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Speaking in Lucknow, Yadav said it was “sad” that a constitutional institution such as the Election Commission was, in his view, adopting a discriminatory approach.

Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav says, "These bureaucrats and officials are working at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is sad that the constitutional body, the Election Commission, is adopting a discriminatory approach and is still working at the BJP’s behest..."

— IANS (@ians_india) October 12, 2026

Akhilesh Yadav Targets Bureaucrats and Officials

Yadav alleged:

“These bureaucrats and officials are working at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party.”

He further claimed that the Election Commission itself was following what he described as a discriminatory approach and accused it of functioning in favour of the BJP.

These are political allegations made by Yadav; the Election Commission has not been established as acting on behalf of any political party.

SP Chief Questions Election Commission’s Neutrality

Yadav has repeatedly questioned the impartiality of the Election Commission in recent weeks.

In September, he cited objections raised by election officials during the Special Intensive Revision process and questioned whether the poll body could still be considered fair and impartial.

He has also participated in Opposition protests over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Opposition Continues Pressure Over Electoral Process

The INDIA bloc has been staging protests over the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls and other election-related issues.

Opposition parties have accused the Election Commission of bias, while BJP leaders have rejected those allegations and defended the revision exercise as necessary for maintaining accurate voter lists.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has separately argued that the SIR process is required to remove illegally registered or ineligible names from electoral rolls.

Political Battle Intensifies Ahead of UP Polls

The Akhilesh Yadav Election Commission remarks come as political campaigning begins to intensify ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Yadav has also stepped up his attacks on the BJP government, while BJP leaders have accused Opposition parties of undermining constitutional institutions when election results do not favour them.

The dispute over electoral processes, voter-list revisions and the Election Commission’s role is therefore emerging as one of the key political flashpoints between the BJP and Opposition parties.