Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Dimple Yadav on Friday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to share live footage from counting centres during the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, escalating Opposition pressure on the poll body over transparency concerns. The demand comes in the wake of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee's allegations of miscalculations in vote counting during the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly polls.

The Core Demand

Dimple Yadav said the SP has formally demanded that live footage from counting centres be made available when elections are held in Uttar Pradesh. "Going 'live' is no longer a new thing in terms of technology. The BJP calls itself technologically advanced," she said, questioning why the ruling party would resist such a measure if it had nothing to hide.

SP's Allegations Against the Election Commission

Reiterating the broader Opposition charge, Yadav accused the ECI of functioning in a partisan manner. "We don't have any hope left from the Election Commission. It is working completely in favour of the BJP because they have got protection from the party," she alleged. The SP has long been among the most vocal critics of the poll body's conduct in Uttar Pradesh, and these remarks mark a sharpening of that position ahead of the 2027 state elections.

Security Forces, Booth Agents, and a Pattern of Allegations

Citing the deployment of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) during the West Bengal Assembly polls, Yadav drew a parallel with conditions in Uttar Pradesh. She alleged that security forces create an atmosphere of fear during elections, that party workers are threatened, and that booth agents are prevented from reaching their designated booths. She further alleged that what the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did in West Bengal mirrors what it did in Uttar Pradesh to come to power.

Women's Safety and the 2027 Election Pitch

Yadav also raised the issue of women's safety in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that sexual assault cases in districts such as Ghazipur, Gonda, and Pratapgarh have gone unaddressed by the state police and government. Invoking the Ankita Bhandari murder case, she said: "According to me, women are not safe in all those states wherever BJP is in power." On the SP's electoral strategy, she confirmed the party will continue its PDA (Backward, Dalit, Minority) coalition approach for 2027. She also accused the BJP of being responsible for violence in West Bengal and Manipur.

The SP-TMC Equation

Asked about SP President Akhilesh Yadav's meeting with former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Dimple Yadav said: "Samajwadi Party has always maintained good relations with the Trinamool Congress." The remark signals that the two regional heavyweights are keeping their Opposition alignment intact, even as national coalition arithmetic ahead of 2027 remains fluid. How far this solidarity translates into coordinated electoral strategy will be closely watched.