Yogi showers sops on districts heading for bypolls

Aiming for a clean sweep in the forthcoming by-polls for 12 Assembly seats in the state, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been showering sops on districts where the by-polls are slated.

Adityanath has been visiting the poll-bound districts and inaugurating developmental schemes worth hundreds of crores, apparently realising that the model code of conduct will come into force once the date of the polls are declared.

The Assembly seats, where by-polls are set to be held, are in Aligarh, Saharanpur, Chitrakoot, Ambedkar Nagar, Rampur, Barabanki, Bahariach, Pratapgarh, Ferozabad, Hamirpur and Lucknow districts.

On Saturday, Adityanath launched schemes worth Rs 1,135 crore in Aligarh. He also announced the establishment of a university in the name of Mahendra Pratap, a member of the Aligarh royal family.

The chief minister had launched developmental schemes worth crores in Chitrakoot district on Friday and had said that it would be developed on the lines of Prayagraj district.

Earlier, Adityanath had announced schemes worth Rs 235 crore for Ambedkar Nagar district and before that he had visited Saharanpur and launched schemes worth Rs 4,500 crore.

According to the sources, Adityanath would be visiting the other poll-bound districts in the next few days and launch schemes there as well.

While the BJP termed the announcement of schemes a routine matter and said that they reflected the state government's focus on development, the Opposition said that it was nothing but an attempt to lure the electorate.

Of the 12 seats going to the by-polls, BJP had won ten seats while the Samajwadi Party (SP) and BSP had won one seat each. The saffron party not only wants to retain its own seats but wrest the other two from the Opposition.