Former Congress MP Rajeev Sachan, former minister, and Samajwadi Party leader Shivkant Ojha joined BJP, on Thursday ahead of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Another Samajwadi Party MLA Sharatveer also quit the party and joined BJP. Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, former Uttar Pradesh party president Laxmikant Bajpai and national media head Anil Baluni welcomed three leaders into the party in Delhi headquarters.
However, Home Minister Amit Shah addressed BJP workers in Mathura, while addressing a meeting of BJP workers in Mathura, Amit Shah hits out at Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati for pushing Uttar Pradesh into jungle raj by keeping it poor and backward. He urged the people of Uttar Pradesh to cast their votes to BJP in the upcoming assembly elections and said that Uttar Pradesh will decide the country's destiny.
He also praised Modi and Yogi and said the leaders only developed Uttar Pradesh, "Nobody drew a map for complete development of Uttar Pradesh. Only after PM Modi took charge & Yogi Adityanath became the CM, the mantra of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas' came to the fore. BJP is not the party for one caste but for entire society" he said.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India announced the voting dates for the Assembly polls of Uttar Pradesh. The UP will hold elections in 7 phases to elect 403 members of the Legislative Assembly in the state. The seven-phase election in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, and March 3 and 7.