The political temperature is on the rise in Uttar Pradesh as BJP and SP are engaged in high-octane bypolls in 9 constituencies. The bypolls are important for both parties, given the Lok Sabha results in which BJP suffered significant damage and SP emerged as a top gainer.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday gave a new definition for Samajwadi Party’s ‘PDA’ strategy, terming it as “Production house of Dangai (rioters) and Apradhi (Criminals). CM Yogi also launched a scathing attack on SP chief calling him the CEO of this production house.
Addressing an election rally in Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar) for the November 20 by-polls, Adityanath said, “SP talks of PDA. But let me tell you what their PDA is. It is the Production House of Dangai (rioters) and Apradhi (criminals). I am giving you this new definition.”
“Remember any big criminal, mafia or rioters, they are part of the production house of SP. Every dreaded criminal, every dreaded mafia, every dreaded rapist is born there (production house). Its CEO is Akhilesh Yadav. The trainer is Shivpal Yadav,” he added.
Dekh Sapai, Bitoya Ghabrai’: CM Yogi
He further lashed out at the SP and alleged that the very sight of an SP worker was enough to strike fear in the women of the state. “Dekh Sapai, Bitiya ghabrai,” he said.
In another rally in Kotwa in the Phulpur assembly constituency, CM Yogi said “Whether it was Atiq Ahmed of Prayagraj, Mukhtar Ansari of Ghazipur, Khan Mubarak of Ambedkar Nagar, all of them were the products of the Samajwadi Party’s production house. All of them were business partners of the Samajwadi Party in crime,” he said.
Bypolls in UP
Notably, nine assembly seats are going to bypolls in UP — Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Karhal (Mainpuri), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Sishamau (Kanpur City), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj), and Kundarki (Moradabad).
Eight of these seats fell vacant after their MLAs were elected as Lok Sabha MPs, while a bypoll is being held on the Sisamau assembly seat after SP MLA Irfan Solanki was disqualified on being convicted in a criminal case.
In the 2022 assembly polls, Sishamau, Katehari, Karhal, Milkipur and Kundarki were held by the SP, while the BJP had won Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan and Khair.
The Meerapur seat was held by the RLD, which is now an ally of the BJP in the NDA. The Congress is not contesting the bypolls and supporting its INDIA bloc partner SP, while the BSP is contesting solo on all nine seats.
(With inputs from agencies)at
