Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday attributed his party’s twin MLC victories in Kashi to public anger over the BJP’s alleged neglect of the city’s heritage, traditional livelihoods and local communities, stating that the results had turned the BJP’s “double-engine government into double zero”.The leader promised to build a metro network in Varanasi to ease traffic congestion if the SP returned to power in UP in 2027. In a post on X addressed to the people of Kashi, Yadav accused the BJP government of neglecting Banaras’s traditional communities, particularly weavers, artisans and boatmen. He alleged that the city’s handicrafts industry had suffered, small businesses had been hit by commission-driven practices and local livelihoods had come under pressure due to the growing influence of outside contractors.Questioning the implementation of the Namami Gange programme, he alleged that despite the allocation of billions of rupees, the condition of the Ganga remained a matter of concern. He also targeted the BJP over its failure to fulfil its promise of developing Varanasi on the lines of Kyoto in Japan. “They could not build Kyoto and have ruined Kashi too,” Yadav said, accusing the BJP of harming rather than serving the interests of Banaras.Yadav said Kashi’s verdict against the BJP would have lasting political consequences. He congratulated party leaders Ashutosh Sinha and Lal Bihari Yadav on their victories.