Lucknow/Sitapur/Ballia, Oct 23 (PTI) Hoardings and posters targeting Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and other party leaders appeared at several locations across Lucknow, Sitapur and Ballia on Friday, triggering discontent among its workers, who tore down some of these banners amid polling for 11 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.
The hoardings made sharp allegations against the Samajwadi Party and its leaders, accusing them of colluding with the mafia and fueling communal disharmony during its rule in the state.
In Ballia, these hoardings appeared at several locations across the city on Friday morning, prompting infuriated SP workers to tear them down, police said.
One hoarding read, “SaPa-iyon (Samajwadi Party leaders) ka kya bharosa — khaini aur Banarasi paan, aur budget chala gaya kabristan”, while another carried the slogan, “Danga, iftaar aur biryani, SP raj ki asal kahani”.
The banners feature Akhilesh Yadav wearing a red cap and a red scarf.
Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha state president Arvind Giri accused the BJP of indulging in petty politics and attempting to disturb the atmosphere on polling day.
“The BJP thought it could influence the polling by putting up these hoardings. Our candidates Ashutosh Sinha from the graduate constituency and Lal Bihari Yadav from the teachers’ constituency are winning. Out of frustration, they wanted to create tension. We tore down the hoardings,” Giri told PTI.
Ballia Kotwali in-charge Praveen Kumar Singh said no one has claimed responsibility for putting up the hoardings. Police are investigating the matter.
In Lucknow, hoardings near Janeshwar Mishra Park in Gomti Nagar and at other prominent locations targeted Yadav and his family members, including Ram Gopal Yadav, Shivpal Yadav and Dimple Yadav. Some banners also featured gangster-politicians Atiq Ahmed and Mukhtar Ansari, along with SP leader Azam Khan.
Similar banners were reported along the Sitapur highway and at key intersections in the state capital.
SP leaders accused the BJP of using state machinery to run a malicious campaign on polling day to influence voters and divert attention from governance issues.
The fresh hoardings come amid an ongoing ‘poster war’ between the BJP and SP in Lucknow.
Ahead of Dussehra, on October 18, hoardings depicting the faces of Yadav, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and US entrepreneur Elon Musk among the 10 heads of Ravan came up at several locations in Lucknow.
Put up by the Sanatan Raksha Sangathan, the banners described them as “Enemies of Sanatan Bharat”. SP workers later removed them.
Earlier, posters targeting Yadav and other SP leaders as “Katiyabaaz (power thieves)” had appeared at several locations in Lucknow, alleging discriminatory electricity supply during SP rule. The SP had accused the BJP government of orchestrating the campaign.
Voting for 11 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, comprising five graduate and six teachers’ constituencies, began at 8 am Friday, with 8.58 per cent turnout recorded till 10 am. PTI COR CDN ARB
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