New Delhi: Expressing confidence of his party’s return to power in Uttar Pradesh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s nomination will lead the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to 300 plus seats in the state.
Speaking at a rally in Gorakhpur ahead of Adityanath filing his nomination, the Home Minister said the BJP is going to “repeat the history” in Uttar Pradesh.
“In 2014, 2017 and 2019 polls, the people of UP chose the development under the leadership of PM Modi and gave absolute majority,” Shah said, ANI reported.
“Today with CM Yogi filing his nomination, the BJP is marching ahead with resolve of ‘300 paar’,” he added.
Taking potshots at the opposition, Shah said: “When I was made the BJP in-charge (of UP) in 2013, then journalists used to say that I am being sent to a place where the party would perhaps not touch even double digits in elections.”
“However, it was the opposition that did not touch double digits,” he added.
Escalating his stack on the Samajwadi Party, Shah said the mafia earlier used to rule Uttar Pradesh.
“Mafia is seen at only three places in UP now – they are either in jail or outside UP or they appear in the candidate list of the SP for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh elections,” said Shah.
“Mafia used to rule UP, the police was scared of them. Today the mafia walks up to the Police station to surrender,” he added.
Shah’s remarks come as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister will file his nomination papers from the Gorakhpur Urban Assembly constituency.
Earlier in the day, both Shah and Adityanath showed victory signs after their arrival at the public rally venue in Gorakhpur.
This is the first time that Adityanath, a five-time former Lok Sabha MP, is contesting the state assembly elections as a candidate.
Voting for the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly will be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7.
The counting of votes will be held on March 10.