Akhilesh Yadav, the president of the Samajwadi Party, criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission (EC) during a press conference in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, alleging that they are involved in what he termed 'vote ki dakaiti' (dacoity of votes). He claimed that a 'multi-layered election mafia' is manipulating elections, referencing the recent West Bengal elections and suggesting that similar tactics were used against his party in previous elections. Yadav pointed to discrepancies in vote share figures from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, asserting that the BJP's vote share showed 'unnatural jumps' in the recent bypolls, particularly in Kundarki, Rampur, and Milkipur, where he alleged that votes from Muslim and Yadav communities were selectively deleted or shifted. He expressed concerns about the transparency of the vote counting process, questioning why it could not be broadcast live. Furthermore, Yadav announced the termination of the contract with the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), a political consultancy firm, stating that it was due to a lack of funding rather than the results of recent elections. He emphasized that the SP has ambitious plans for the 2027 Assembly elections, aiming for a 'historic victory' through the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) alliance.