Akhilesh Yadav slams UP SIR, calls it ‘NRC in disguise’

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday criticised the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh, calling it “NRC in disguise” and alleging it could be part of a larger conspiracy to remove voters opposed to the BJP. Addressing reporters in Hyderabad, Yadav claimed that over three crore votes in UP were at risk of deletion and urged the Election Commission to focus on increasing voter participation rather than removing names. He warned that if votes were deleted in areas where the BJP had lost, it would amount to a conspiracy against democracy , adding that SIR could create hurdles similar to those under NRC , requiring citizens to present detailed documents.

Yadav also drew parallels with past policies, saying citizens were inconvenienced similarly during demonetisation, COVID-19 restrictions, and GST rollout . On the Parliament Winter Session , he remarked on the irony of some lawmakers “suddenly wanting to sing Vande Mataram,” highlighting the political contradictions he observed.

During his Hyderabad visit, Yadav met Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy , who briefed him on the state’s development and welfare programmes . Yadav lauded the CM’s decision to recognise the ‘Sadar’ festival celebrated by the Yadav community as a state event, saying the community would remember him for this gesture.

He also held discussions with BRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao and other party leaders, emphasising that negativity in politics should end and the focus should be on progress and development . Rama Rao noted that his party drew inspiration from SP’s 37-seat win in the Lok Sabha elections , despite being out of power in UP. Yadav said he had also spoken to BRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao , who plans to meet him soon.

Yadav further spoke about the launch of SP’s new national programme , “Vision India” , which aims to provide a future-focused roadmap for Neo-India, leveraging technology and AI across sectors like agriculture and healthcare. He stressed that politics should be about vision, inclusivity, and progress , rather than division, and praised the youth for being tolerant, progressive, and forward-looking.

In essence

, Yadav’s visit combined criticism of UP’s electoral process, promotion of his party’s Vision India initiative , and engagement with Telangana leaders to explore ideas for governance and political dialogue, while signalling a focus on development-oriented politics over divisive strategies.