Akhilesh Yadav Slams Yogi Govt Over UP Power Cuts, Sparks Row

Akhilesh Yadav took a sharp jibe at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, questioning the state government’s handling of electricity supply. In a post on social media platform X, he mocked what he called a lack of coordination between the Chief Minister and Uttar Pradesh Energy Minister AK Sharma.

He alleged that the government was unable to handle regular outages of electricity, in particular during peak summer demand when people need reliable power the most. Akhilesh also sneered, saying the public was going to “thrash the BJP” in the next elections because they are unhappy with basic services, including electricity. He also blasted the administration over reports that police had been sent to power substations. Power cuts were not a real factor and so the government was trying to control popular anger, he said. He also mentioned some BJP members even complaining of their own government, indicating inner frustration.

The same government in Uttar Pradesh defended its power management mechanism. Officials emphasized that the state saw its most electricity supply ever through the current heatwave. Demand for power, it said, has skyrocketed, but supply has stayed at all-time highs to power this increase in consumption.

According to official data gathered by Uttar Pradesh State Load Dispatch Centre, electricity consumption in the state has more than doubled over the last 12 years. It has grown to over 1,62,858 million units by 2025–26 from around 76,574 million units in 2012–13. The increase demonstrates population expansion and greater penetration of electricity in rural and urban areas.

Energy Minister AK Sharma also reacted by sharing a new power supply record. He said Uttar Pradesh recently reached a peak electricity supply of over 31,000 MW this year which is the highest in the state’s history. The supply at one point soared to almost 31,824 MW during peak evening demand.

The state, he said, is consistently shattering its own record and running its own power supply even in the face of extreme weather. At this point, Uttar Pradesh has even exceeded all major states for peak power supply during this time.

Now the ongoing clash between Akhilesh Yadav and the BJP government has made power supply a crucial issue. With power cuts being the backdrop for the opposition on the one hand, the ruling party is playing up record electricity distribution to maintain its record.

As the heatwave presses on, the topic of UP’s power crisis will probably be a continued political talking point in the state.