- By Aalok Sensharma
- Tue, 15 Feb 2022 03:51 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Lucknow | Jagran Politics Desk: The Uttar Pradesh assembly elections are considered to be the semi-final ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. As a result, political parties are leaving no stone unturned to woo voters. On Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will provide free gas cylinders to the people of Uttar Pradesh by March 18 if it returns to power on March 10.
Shah, who addressed multiple rallies and held roadshows on Tuesday, also attacked the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Akhilesh Yadav, saying only guns and bullets were manufactured in Uttar Pradesh under their rule, but now "gole are prepared to fire upon Pakistan."
"Two phases of polls in Uttar Pradesh have ended and Samajwadi Party has been wiped out completely. Western UP has done the work of laying the foundation of the BJP government with more than 300 seats. In the third phase, this majority is to be made grander," Shah said in Mainpuri.
Akhilesh too announces freebies
Meanwhile, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday also announced some freebies to woo voters of Uttar Pradesh. Addressing an election rally in Rae Bareli, Akhilesh promised to provide a kilo of 'ghee' to the poor and free ration for five years if the SP returns to power.
"The poor, who are availing their rations, will get it till the elections. It will not be available after the elections. Earlier it was to be given till November but when the UP elections were announced, they said they would get it till March," he said.
"Ration was given by the Samajwadis earlier as well. As long as there is an SP government, we will give ration to our poor. Along with it, we will give mustard oil as well as two cylinders in a year. To see that the health of our poor gets better, one kilogram of ghee will also be given," he added.
Freebies remain the favourite shot in the arm for political parties in assembly polls. Earlier, Congress and new-entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had also announced some freebies for Uttar Pradesh voters if they are elected to power.
Elections for the 403-member legislative assembly are underway in Uttar Pradesh. The first and second phases were conducted on February 10 and 14. The remaining five phases will be conducted on February 20, 23, 27, and March 3 and 7. The counting of votes will be held on March 10.