UP polls: 'Mafiawaadis' in jail now, says Yogi Adityanath in Gorakhpur

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that Gorakhpur will no longer be identified with the mafias and as of date, the "mafiawaadis" are now in jail.

Addressing a conference on voter awareness in Gorakhpur, Adityanath said, "Gorakhpur will no longer be identified with the mafias. The mafiawaadis here are now adorning the jail. Women now feel safe and can roam freely even at night."

The Chief Minister also lauded India's ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive.

"Earlier, it was witnessed that vaccines for various illnesses used to come in India after a gap of 50 to 60 years. Within one and a half to two years of the Coronavirus driven pandemic, as many as two vaccines have been made in India and in UP, 100 per cent of the people have got the first dose," said the Chief Minister.

He added, "Most of the central schemes that are there today.....Uttar Pradesh is either at the first position or on second position. Under the Samajwadi Party's government, only 18000 houses were approved for the poor in the entire state. In my tenure, as many as 32,000 houses have been given in the Gorakhpur metropolis."

Prior to this address by him, Yogi Adityanath on Friday filed his nomination papers as a BJP candidate from Gorakhpur Urban constituency for the state assembly elections.

The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7 in seven phases.

The counting of votes will take place on March 10.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP won a landslide victory winning 312 Assembly seats. The party secured a 39.67 per cent vote share in the elections for 403-member Assembly. Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged 47 seats, BSP won 19 while Congress could manage to win only seven seats.