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Journalism of Courage
Weeks after NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s “vote twice” statement caused a stir, Samajwadi Party MLA and president of the party’s Maharashtra unit, Abu Asim Azmi, urged the north Indian voters in Mumbai to vote for the SP candidate on April 24 and then help the party win in UP.
Speaking at a rally here in the presence of SP leader and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Azmi said, “The BJP is trying to challenge us in UP despite being reduced to a handful of seats in the Assembly. I urge all north Indians in Mumbai to vote for the SP candidate here on April 24 and then take a train back to UP on the same evening and help the party win from UP too.”
Yadav, however, attempted damage control during his speech soon after. “The BJP has fielded their prime ministerial candidate from Varanasi. An important phase of elections in UP will take place on April 24, the same day when Mumbai goes to polls. You cannot vote twice, but I urge all of you to support us in UP too and help the party win,” he said.
The SP has fielded three candidates from Mumbai and one from Kalyan.
Yadav was in Mumbai to campaign for SP candidate from Mumbai North Central constituency Farhan Azmi (Abu Azmi’s son), who is taking on Congress’s sitting MP Priya Dutt and BJP’s Poonam Mahajan from here.
Yadav, while criticising BJP and its “communal” agenda, said the inefficiency and inability of the Congress had resulted in the rise of BJP.
