Akhilesh Yadav on alliance with Congress, Uttar Pradesh polls, jobs, crime and Gen Z | HTLS 2026

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav predicts that voters will oust the BJP government in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Speaking with HT’s National Political Editor Sunetra Choudhury at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2026, he challenges the Yogi Adityanath government’s law-and-order record and alleges rising crimes against Dalits, women and minorities. Yadav also criticises the government’s bulldozer policy, alleging that it disproportionately targets poor and vulnerable communities, and reveals that ally Congress has sought 181 seats for the upcoming polls.