Beware! UP may become Kashmir, Bengal: Yogi ahead of poll

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday appealed to the people of the state to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the assembly polls beginning on Thursday and said that their vote will decide the future of the state, "cautioning" the voters against the state becoming Kashmir, Kerala and Bengal "if the voters make a mistake."

In a video shared by the Uttar Pradesh BJP on Twitter, Yogi said, "I have to tell you something that is there in my heart. A lot of wonderful things have happened in these five years. 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. Your vote is a blessing on my efforts of five years. Your vote will also be a guarantee of your fear-free life."

Referring to the polling for the first phase of elections, Yogi said that the time for a "big decision" has come.

"The time for a big decision has come. In the last five years, the double-engine government of the BJP has done everything with dedication and commitment. You have seen everything and heard everything in detail," he said.

The battle for Uttar Pradesh began on Thursday with polling at 58 assembly seats spread across 11 districts in the western part of the state.

In 2017, the BJP bagged 53 of the 58 seats, while the SP and the BSP had got two seats each.

One seat had gone to the Rashtriya Lok Dal.