Uttar Pradesh may turn into another Kashmir, Kerala or West Bengal if voters “make a mistake”, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Thursday, ahead of the first phase of elections in the state, reports Deccan Herald.
“Beware! If you miss, the labour of these five years will be spoiled. It would not take much time for Uttar Pradesh to become Kashmir, Kerala and Bengal,” the chief minister said in a video shared by him.
In his six-minute-long video addressed to his ‘voting brothers and sisters’ on Twitter, he repeatedly stated that he was not “here to ask for your votes”.
“It’s time for a big decision. In the last five years, the BJP’s double engine government has done everything with commitment and fulfilled its promises keeping your trust in mind. A lot has happened in five years — 24-hour electricity has reached all houses in all villages for the first time, toilets have been made for cleanliness as well as dignity of women, sturdy homes have been built, piped water has reached homes, expressways have been built,” Yogi Adityanath said and listed the various achievements of his tenure.
He said that the people of the state were so happy with these developments that the joy of electoral victory paled in comparison.
On the pandemic, he said, “Two years ago, when the pandemic hit, even rich countries suffered. We had both the disease and hunger to contend with. I decided that no one in UP will sleep hungry. We gave crores of people ration. With God’s blessing and the prime minister’s direction, we managed to do this.”
The chief minister also said that he had taken all his decisions without keeping in mind caste and community. He claimed that corruption, mafia, crime and rioting had all reduced under his rule.
“I’m a Yogi. There’s no stain of corruption on my orange robe,” he said.
Finally, taking a dig at Opposition parties, he said, “We broke all records set by the previous governments. I’m not here to ask for your votes but to apologise for previous governments that did not do all this for you.”
He also spoke of the road development in the area and said, “The BJP government has done all-round development of the state without any discrimination and has worked to connect every section with the mainstream.”
Polling is under way in 58 seats of the 403 member Uttar Pradesh Assembly that is spread in 11 districts of western Uttar Pradesh. The Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls will be held in seven phases in February-March starting from February 10. Counting of votes will be held on March 10.