Why don't you contest from Sambhal? Asaduddin Owaisi dares Yodi Adityanath

Asaduddin Owaisi challenged Yogi Adityanath to contest from Sambhal and asked Akhilesh Yadav to fight from Gorakhpur. He said the BJP and Samajwadi Party were staging a political fight while avoiding substantive issues ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh election.Asaduddin Owaisi challenges Yogi AdityanathAhead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi launched an attack on the BJP and the Samajwadi Party, accusing them of engaging in a “noora kushti” (staged wrestling match) to mislead voters. He also dared Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to contest the upcoming election from the Sambhal assembly constituency, a seat dominated by Muslim voters."Yogi Adityanath should contest from Sambhal, face the voters and explain that his administration razed several mosques," Owaisi said in an exclusive interview with Aaj Tak’s Samarth Srivastava.In addition to this, the five-time Hyderabad MP also challenged Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav from Gorakhpur and suggested both leaders should face voters in each other’s political strongholds."Akhilesh Yadav should go to Gorakhpur and tell voters that his Rajya Sabha pick Dhanraj Nathwani openly praised PM Narendra Modi on the completion of his 25 years as an administrator,” Owaisi told Aaj Tak. Gorakhpur is closely associated with Yogi Adityanath, who represented the constituency in the Lok Sabha for several terms, while Sambhal has been a key Samajwadi Party stronghold.The remarks came amid a war of words between Yogi and Akhilesh over where they should contest the 2027 Assembly election. Akhilesh had challenged the Chief Minister to contest from Ayodhya. Yogi responded by daring the Samajwadi Party chief to contest against him. Taking a further jibe at Akhilesh, Owaisi accused him of getting caught up in a staged political fight with Yogi instead of focusing on substantive issues, including allegations surrounding the theft of Ram Temple donations. The amount and details of the alleged theft should be verified before being specified.OWAISI QUESTIONS SP'S RECORD ON MUSLIM ISSUESOwaisi accused the Samajwadi Party of relying on Muslim support without doing enough for the community’s development. Citing Azamgarh, which he described as an SP stronghold, he questioned the party’s record on establishing a university there.“Several generations of Muslims have made the Samajwadi Party what it is and made Mulayam Singh Yadav ‘Netaji’. You have a stronghold in Azamgarh, but you have not worked on a university there. Everything has been built in Saifai,” he said.Owaisi also targeted Akhilesh over the SP’s PDA slogan, which stands for Pichhde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak (backward classes, Dalits and minorities). He questioned whether the party examined its own candidate choices while projecting itself as a representative of these communities.OWAISI RESPONDS TO QUESTIONS OVER DELHI PROTESTSResponding to allegations that he had stayed away from protests in Delhi demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, Owaisi questioned why opposition leaders expected his support without engaging with him politically.“You do not want to talk to us, but you expect us to stand with you and protest,” he said.Owaisi maintained that he was among the first leaders to raise the issue concerning the Election Commission. His remarks came amid the CJP-led agitation in Delhi, where demonstrators have demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the poll body and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.Hundreds of demonstrators were detained at various locations in the capital as they attempted to reach Jantar Mantar.Asked about a possible alliance ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, Owaisi said an announcement would be made as soon as possible.- Ends