Akhilesh Yadav dons a new look in turban, slams EC over 'vote chori' | Video

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday hit out at the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing the poll body of assisting the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government over 'vote chori'. Speaking at a press conference in Lucknow, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister warned that the country could witness a Nepal-like protest if the poll body fails to stop such practices.

"It's the Election Commission's responsibility to ensure that no vote is stolen anywhere," Akhilesh was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. "Everyone knows that when they couldn't win elections through vote theft, they tried to stop the vote with the power of a revolver... If such incidents happen, it's possible that people here might take to the streets, just like what happened in our neighbouring countries."

"We saw the Rampur election... they stole the election, then the Mirapur election. During the Ayodhya election, a man was caught who was a minister's assistant... just think about the Ayodhya election. People were brought there from outside. People were brought from Amethi as well," he alleged.

Akhilesh's new look

Meanwhile, Akhilesh was seen a new look during the press conference, as he wore a Sikh turban. He said once his party returns to power in Uttar Pradesh, he will ensure that the Sikh community gets the desired respect in the state.

Nepal's Gen Z protests and Akhilesh's appeal to govt

Protests, led by Gen Z, erupted in Nepal earlier this week against the government's decision to ban 26 social media platforms. The ban was revoked later, but the agitation continued, toppling KP Sharma Oli's government. So far, more than 50 people, including an Indian woman, have lost their lives in the protests.

During the presser, Akhilesh also criticised the Modi government's foreign policy, which he claimed has remained 'unsuccessful' on many occasions. However, the Lok Sabha MP from Kannauj urged the central government to ensure that peace is maintained on India's borders and in neighbouring countries.