Uttar Pradesh BJP chief: We will have a clean sweep in the state

Newly appointed UP Congress President Ajay Kumar Lallu being garlanded during a function, at the party office in Lucknow. Pic/PTI

Lucknow: The bypolls to 11 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh will be a "one-sided contest" and in BJP's favour, claim its leaders, even as the Opposition, which was battered in the Lok Sabha polls, eyes to better its prospects before the 2022 state elections.

There are 110 candidates in the fray and the state chiefs of the BJP and the Congress are keen to start their parties' innings on a winning note ahead of the polls to the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly.

The bypolls will witness a four-cornered contest, with the BJP, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress fielding candidates for all the seats. It will be held on October 21 along with assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana.

"The Congress will become the voice of the deprived, harassed, farmers, youths and women in Uttar Pradesh. We have several challenges before us but with the blessings of seniors and the support of the youth, no one will be able to stop the party from coming to power in 2022," newly-appointed Congress state president Ajay Kumar Lallu had said during his visit to Lucknow on Friday. However, state BJP chief Swatantradev Singh said, "BJP workers in the entire state are a committed cadre and are working for the party's programmes rather than seeking personal gains. The BJP will make a clean sweep in the by-polls."

21 Oct
Day assembly elections will take place in Haryana, UP and Maharashtra

110
No. of candidates in the fray in UP

BJP promises easy loans for farmers

Aiming to retain power, the BJP on Sunday released its election manifesto for Haryana elections, promising a slew of measures, including easy loans for farmers and SC members, free education to girls from poor families and skill training to 25 lakh youths. During the unveiling of the manifesto, Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar said while the Opposition was using freebies too woo voters, his party focussed on "realism".

It's a do-or-die situation for Cong

The Assembly elections in Haryana are a do-or-die situation for the Congress in the coming months after the party faced a rout in the Lok Sabha polls. Days after the announcement of the October 21 election date, Congress veterans weighed in on the party to replace Ashok Tanwar with Kumari Selja as the new Haryana Congress president. A disgruntled Tanwar has since quit the party.

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