Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Feb 14 (IANS) It would not be a surprise if the Samajwadi Party bagged all seven seats in the Saharanpur area which is polling on Monday, Imran Masood, who recently quit Congress to join Samajwadi Party (SP), has said.
“The BJP has been making false promises, they have been exposed already. People are aware of this and that was the reason, very few could be seen to welcome the Prime Minister, nor was his rally attended in large numbers. Farmers and youth of Uttar Pradesh want the new government under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav. That is the only and biggest issue on which the polls are being fought,” Masood told IANS as the second phase of the assembly polls got underway in western Uttar Pradesh.
Despite the fact that all top BJP leaders, including the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister, and Home Minister Amit Shah, campaigned in this area, Masood said, “The enthusiasm with which the voting has started, it is clear that Uttar Pradesh people want Akhilesh Yadav to be the Chief Minister. I would not be surprised if the Samajwadi Party wins all seven seats in Saharanpur.”
Western Uttar Pradesh is known as the sugar belt and the sugar cane farmers have been facing tough times. Asked what the SP’s plans are for these farmers, Masood said, “The maximum work done for the sugar cane farmers is by the Samajwadi Party. When Mulayam Singh was the chief minister, he started (sugar) mills. Ajit Singh was a Central minister then, he helped get permissions and mills were started. Sugar cane farmers became prosperous. But the BJP keeps promising to restart the sugar mills that have been shut for long. Three years now, no sugar mill has been started in our area.”
Not contesting assembly elections, he said, is his party leadership’s decision. He agreed in principle the need for an alliance between SP and Congress as he “sincerely felt that the people of Uttar Pradesh should not suffer any more under this rule (BJP)”.
–IANS
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