BJP, SP engage in poster war in UP ahead of Assembly polls

Lucknow: A poster war has erupted in Uttar Pradesh with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) targeting each other ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. While the SP took a swipe at the Yogi Adityanath-led government, the BJP attacked SP chief Akhilesh Yadav over his proposed Ram Temple visit.

A poster has been put up outside the Samajwadi Party office carrying the message, "Those who came with bulldozers will leave on bicycles".

The cycle is the election symbol of the SP while the "bulldozer" remark is seen in reference to the UP government's demolition orders for illegally constructed structures and houses of those accused of indulging in criminal activities.

This comes a day after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath remarked "Bulldozer is now UP's brand", during the groundbreaking ceremony of a new tractor plant in UP's Jewar.

Meanwhile, the SP President is scheduled to visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in December, triggering a war of words between the party and the BJP.

The poster that surfaced in Lucknow, on Friday, targeting Akhilesh Yadav, stated that the SP chief is late to visit the Ram Temple.

"Will you be able to pay tributes to the karsevaks? Who does not belong to Lord Ram, cannot belong to anyone else," the poster read, while paying tribute to the karsevaks killed in the 1990 police firing.

Earlier, CM Adityanath had launched a veiled attack on the Opposition, specifically on the SP, saying that the latter's party leaders should definitely come to seek blessings at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya but first "apologise" for the police firing on karsevaks.

"This Ayodhya will never again come under the bounds of a curfew. Now, no one will dare to instigate riots or anarchy in Ayodhya. No one will be able to neglect Ayodhya anymore and neither insult the sants here. Further, no one will dare to open fire on Ram bhakts (devotees)," he asserted.

In a veiled attack on the Samajwadi Party, CM Adityanath asked it to apologise for the police firing on karsevaks in 1990.

The Chief Minister said: "I have come here today to assure you that those people who neglected us, insulted us, fired bullets at Ram devotees, insulted sants, and cane-charged them—should definitely come to Ayodhya but only after apologising."

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