Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a jab at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, predicting that they will blame Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for their defeat after the Lok Sabha election results. “On June 4, after counting of votes, the two ‘Shehzadas’ (Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav) will hold a press conference and say that they lost the elections due to faulty EVMs. They have decided that they will blame the EVM for their defeat,” Shah stated at an election rally in Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh.
The Congress and Samajwadi Party, part of the Opposition INDIA bloc, have a seat-sharing agreement in the ongoing Lok Sabha election. Earlier this year, Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of undermining democratic institutions, saying: “Modi can’t win elections without EVMs, ED, CBI, and I-T. We asked the Election Commission to count the VVPAT also. But our demand hasn’t been accepted.”
Shah also accused Congress of fear-mongering regarding Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), asserting that the BJP government will reclaim it as it belongs to India. “Congress is scaring the nation by saying that don’t talk about Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as Pakistan has an atom bomb. Rahul baba, we the people of BJP are not scared of the atomic bomb. PoK belongs to India and we will take it back,” Shah declared at the rally.
As the Lok Sabha elections enter the final phase, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed confidence in the BJP-NDA’s success, emphasizing the slogan “400 paar” and “Phir ek baar Modi Sarkar.” He told ANI, “Today, ‘400 paar’ has become the mantra for the common man. Everywhere you can hear ‘Phir ek baar Modi sarkar- Abki baar 400 paar’. This has not happened suddenly but due to the changes in the country in every sector in the last 10 years under the leadership of PM Modi. This has happened through works in sectors like highways, railways, AIIMS, IIT, IIM, Har Ghar Nal se Jal, and Kisan Samman Nidhi. The sensitivity of the government can be seen through the poor welfare schemes. On June 4, BJP-NDA will meet the target of ‘400 paar’.”
Adityanath also criticized the opposition’s INDIA bloc, accusing them of mocking the Constitution.