BJP has imposed ‘election surcharge’ through power bills: Akhilesh

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday accused BJP govt of burdening consumers with higher electricity charges to raise funds for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.Akhilesh said BJP govt has effectively imposed an “election surcharge” in electricity bills and claimed that consumers would face a sharp increase in power charges from June.“People will be shocked when they see their electricity bills from June. The increase in power charges is actually an increase in the BJP’s commission,” Akhilesh alleged.He accused state govt of continuously raising prices and putting additional financial pressure on the public at a time when inflation was already high.The SP chief said the BJP has been increasing the prices of essential commodities and services, including diesel, petrol, electricity and LPG cylinders, leaving common people “helpless and distressed.”He alleged that there was a wide gap between the BJP’s promises and its actions, claiming that despite pledges to control inflation, the party had presided over rising prices since coming to office.Akhilesh further said that BJP formulates policies in favour of big industrialists while neglecting the interests of the poor and farmers. He claimed that govt was transferring wealth from ordinary citizens to large corporate groups and benefiting politically through donations and commissions.The former chief minister said the people of Uttar Pradesh would respond in the 2027 Assembly elections and asserted that only Samajwadi Party govt could provide relief from inflation and rising living costs.