BJP was never so weak as party: Akhilesh Yadav on candidates withdrawing from Lok Sabha polls

Akhilesh Yadav criticizes BJP's weakening party strength as multiple candidates withdraw from Lok Sabha elections.

Amidst announcements by some sitting BJP MPs and a couple of candidates not to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on March 4 took a jibe at the ruling party, saying that the "BJP was never so weak as a party".

In a post on X in Hindi, Mr. Yadav said, "Who would have thought that such days would come for the BJP that some candidates will give up their claim on the pretext of saying that some other work is more important before getting the ticket.

"Someone will talk about going out considering sports as more serious than politics. Someone will write an application to get out of the deciduous BJP on the pretext of environment," he said.

Mr. Yadav further said someone will announce his retirement after getting a ticket. And even after getting a ticket, someone will reject the ticket from a distance on social media due to personal reasons, he said.

He added, "BJP was never so weak as a party. Now apart from the public, even the BJP people themselves are saying, 'Don't want BJP'." Former Gujarat deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Patel on March 3 had said that he has withdrawn his claim to contest from Mehsana Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat.

Mr. Patel did not assign any reason for this decision, which he announced on social media, even as the BJP is yet to officially announce the contestant from Mehsana.

In a post on social media, Mr. Patel said he had staked a claim for Mehsana seat and requested the party to field him as its nominee.