OI EXCLUSIVE | No '400 Paar' Factor, Voters To Decide In May: Akhilesh Yadav's Warning To BJP

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday debunked the notion of the ruling party's "Ab ki baar 400 paar factor," which translates to "This time, over 400 seats," suggesting that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to lose more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

In an exclusive interview with OneIndia, Yadav said,''There is no such thing as 400 paar factor and predicted that the Saffron party would lose more than 400 seats in the upcoming elections. He also highlighted pressing issues such as unemployment and rising prices.

Yadav highlighted the challenges faced by India's youth, stating, "Today is May 1, and as per the International Labour Organization (ILO), India's youth continue to grapple with soaring unemployment rates, with nearly 83 percent of the jobless population belonging to this demographic."

The former UP chief minister said further, "In the month of May, voters would decide that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will not come to power." It must be noted that Uttar Pradesh is gearing up for another round of voting in the third phase of the ongoing general elections, scheduled for May 7. In this phase, 10 Lok Sabha constituencies will go to the polls, including Sambhal, Hathras, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Badaun, Bareilly, and Aonla. Of particular interest is the Mainpuri constituency, where the competition between Dimple Yadav of the Samajwadi Party and BJP's Jaiveer Singh awaits close examination.

Yadav's comments come amidst the release of the India Employment Report 2024, jointly published by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Institute of Human Development (IHD), which reveals that nearly 83 percent of the unemployed population in India comprises youth. This demographic continues to struggle with high unemployment rates.

The report also indicates a concerning trend of educated youth facing unemployment, with the share of educated youth among the unemployed increasing from 54% in 2000 to 66% in 2022. This group, particularly those with at least secondary education, has seen a significant rise in unemployment rates, reflecting a mismatch between job aspirations and available opportunities.

The data further shows that around 10 million job seekers registered with the National Career Service portal between 2015-16 and 2019, with approximately 64 percent being men and 83 percent of these men belonging to the youth category (15-34 age group).

Despite improvements in education levels, the report highlights that educated youth, especially graduates, face higher rates of unemployment. The unemployment rate among youths with secondary education or higher was 18.4 percent, and for graduates, it was 29.1 percent, significantly higher than the 3.4 percent for those who could not read or write.