Akhilesh Yadav Teases Congress Over Electoral Bond Sources While Criticizing BJP's Electoral Practices

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav engaged in playful banter during a parliamentary session on Tuesday when he inquired about the source of electoral bonds received by his alliance partner, Congress. During his address in the Lok Sabha, Yadav criticized the BJP for alleged misuse of administrative power and raised significant concerns regarding electoral reform needs.

Yadav highlighted how the BJP secured a historic first victory in Rampur during recent Uttar Pradesh bypolls, alleging this success stemmed from police and officials preventing citizens from exercising their voting rights. He expressed disappointment over the Election Commission's inaction, emphatically stating, "This was not vote chori, but vote dacoity in by-elections."

The discussion soon shifted to electoral bonds, with Yadav noting that the BJP received the largest portion of these funds, followed by Congress.

"The ruling party received the majority of electoral bonds. Congress also benefited substantially. However, Congress resembles that friend who never reveals where their money comes from," Yadav remarked humorously, generating laughter throughout the House. He added, "We received nothing," emphasizing the financial disadvantage faced by regional parties competing against national political entities.

Electoral bonds, financial instruments designed for anonymous political contributions, were ultimately abolished by the Supreme Court.

According to Election Commission data released last year, the Congress party accumulated Rs 1,334 crore through these bonds since their 2018 introduction. In contrast, the Samajwadi Party redeemed bonds valued at only Rs 14.05 crore.

During his address, Yadav also discussed the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Uttar Pradesh and raised concerns about Booth Level Officers (BLOs) deaths, questioning whether these officials had received adequate training.

Yadav expressed support for Congress's proposed reforms regarding Election Commissioner appointment procedures and advocated for returning to ballot voting systems.