Saina congratulates Yogi on win in UP local polls; RLD chief calls her 'sarkari shuttler'

Ace badminton player Saina Nehwal has congratulated Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s "thumping victory" in elections to the posts of the district panchayat chief, prompting a sharp comment from Rashtriya Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary who called her "sarkaari shuttler".

In a tweet on Saturday night, Nehwal said, "Hearty congratulations for thumping victory in Zila Panchayat Chairperson election in UP @myogiadityanath sir."

Nehwal had joined the BJP ahead of the 2020 Delhi assembly elections.

Reacting to Nehwal's tweet almost one-and-a-half-hour later, Rashtriya Lok Dal president Chaudhary tweeted, "Sarkaari shuttler recognises BJP skill in smashing peoples' verdict! I think voters need to play a subtle drop shot on celebs trying to influence their decisions!."

The BJP on Saturday claimed to have swept the elections to the posts of the district panchayat chief even as the SP alleged that the ruling party "kidnapped" voters and used "force" to stop them from voting.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of making a mockery of the elections, saying it is strange that while most results in the polls for the district panchayat members were in favour of his party, the BJP gained in the contest for the district panchayat chief.

Though the panchayat polls in UP are not held on the party symbol and the state Election Commission did not announce the party affiliation of the winning candidates, the BJP claimed that the candidate backed by it won on 67 of 75 posts, the elections for which were held on Saturday.