Assembly polls: In final lap, big guns blaze in Uttar Pradesh

New Delhi: As Uttar Pradesh entered the last leg of campaigning for the seventh and final phase of polling, leaders scaled up their pitch to hit out at each other. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Mirzapur that his rivals — SP, BSP and Congress — will get “electric shocks” when the results are announced March 11.

The UP CM had dared Mr Modi to touch an electric wire to see if current really flows through it. Mr Modi has been attacking the SP government over the “poor” power supply in the state.

In his speech at Ghazipur on Friday, the UP CM countered Mr Modi’s claim of a cross-border conspiracy in a recent train accident in Kanpur, and alleged that the BJP is used to seeking votes by misguiding people.

“Our Railway minister could not take care of Kanpur tracks and gave a false report to the PM that Pakistan’s ISI had damaged the tracks,” he said.

BSP president Mayawati also attacked the BJP saying its own cadre would teach its leaders a lesson for fielding baagi (rebels) and daagi (tainted) candidates in UP.

“The BJP has become the No. 1 party of the baagi and daagi candidates... this time they have given tickets to those who joined them after leaving other parties... tickets were given to rebels and with those with criminal antecedents,” she told an election rally in Jaunpur.