Addressing an election meeting on the last day of campaigning for the first phase of urban local body polls, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, “Some people had turned Prayagraj into a land of injustice and atrocities. But nature doesn’t commit or accept atrocity on anyone. It settles scores for everyone.” He was speaking in Allahabad West constituency on Tuesday, where the now-slain gangster Atiq Ahmed won five successive Assembly polls.
In another rally at Jhansi later in the day, Mr. Adityanath said his government will keep cracking down on criminals, “We will not disturb the innocent, but we will not let any criminal walk freely in the State.” The CM also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “vision of development” for Uttar Pradesh.
The two election speeches reflect the subjects around which the BJP, led by Mr. Adityanath, has forged its election campaign for the urban local body polls — improved law and order, the promise of development and Mr. Modi’s charisma — and sought a “triple-engine government” in U.P.
On the other hand, the Samajwadi Party (SP) campaign has revolved around urban-centric issues such as corruption, urban employment guarantee scheme and sanitation.
‘Mafia-free U.P.’
Mr. Adityanath has, in multiple rallies, talked about ridding the State of the menace of mafia syndicates.
In a rally in Mathura, the CM, in a veiled reference to the SP, said before 2017 (when the BJP came to power in the State), activists belonging to one political party used to roam around with guns to terrorise businessmen and common citizens. “Now, the terror of mafia and antisocial elements has left Uttar Pradesh; smart and safe cities are developing here,” said Mr. Adityanath.
“Before 2014, India faced an identity crisis and rampant corruption. The youth was hopeless. Our country’s respect was declining across the world. But Prime Minister Modiji established a new India, which is now recognised for its talent and which the world looks up to in times of crisis,” Mr. Adityanath said at a rally in Firozabad on Thursday.
Leading the SP’s poll campaign, party president Akhilesh Yadav has claimed that the BJP has long ruled over all major municipal corporations in the State, such as Lucknow, Agra, Kanpur and Varanasi. Still, the problems ailing these urban centres have only increased due to malpractices and corruption by the leaders of the ruling party.
“The problems of the cities have been gifted by the BJP, which has ruled urban bodies for a long time. The population in urban pockets has grown in the last two decades, but no corrective measures were taken,” Mr. Yadav said at an election meeting.
BSP’s poll plank
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) campaign has mostly been led by individual candidates and local party units.
The party is hoping that a Muslim-Dalit combination would reap rich dividends in the urban centres, as it has given mayoral tickets to Muslim candidates in 11 out of the 17 municipal corporations.
The urban body election across 760 urban local bodies will be held for 14,684 posts, including for 17 mayoral seats and 1,420 councillors posts, in two phases — on May 4 and May 11. The counting of votes is on May 13.
