Not to vote to make UP a 'Kerala, Kashmir or Bengal': Yogi warns before polling

New Delhi: Hours before the polling for the first phase of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cautioned voters that Uttar Pradesh can become Kashmir, Kerala or Bengal if they "make a mistake."

"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," Yogi Adityanath said in a video shared by the Uttar Pradesh BJP on Twitter.

He also promised that a vote for the BJP would be "a guarantee of fear-free life".

उत्तर प्रदेश के मेरे मतदाता भाइयों एवं बहनों... pic.twitter.com/voB37uA3uV

— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) February 9, 2022

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader also said that the "rioters who have been restrained are getting impatient" and the "terrorists are repeatedly issuing threats."

"Your vote is a blessing on my efforts of five years. Your vote will also be a guarantee of your fear-free life," he urged.

"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."

58 constituencies in the western part of the state, the hub of an 11-month farmers' protest, are voting today.

Yogi Adityanath is seeking a second term in UP, with former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party as his main challenger.

The results of elections in UP and four other states will be announced on March 10.