Yogi leads march against Opposition; Akhilesh predicts U.P. poll defeat

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh held a protest march on Tuesday against the “anti-women and undemocratic” move by the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) to vote against the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026.

The Bill sought to redistribute Lok Sabha seats based on the 2011 Census to expedite the implementation of women’s reservation.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath led the ‘Jan Akrosh Mahila Padayatra’ from his official residence on Kalidas Marg to Vidhan Bhawan. He was accompanied by Union Minister and BJP State president Pankaj Chaudhary, Deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, Cabinet members, and office-bearers of BJP’s State unit.

Taking a swipe at the CM, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav described Mr. Adityanath’s “padayatra (foot march)” against the defeat of the Bill on April 17 as “practice” before sitting on the Opposition benches. “This is the first government which, while being in power, is practising how to function as the Opposition,” he said.

Voting for the State Assembly is due next year.