As the assembly by-election dates approach in Uttar Pradesh, a Twitter war has erupted between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the BJP to woo their respective vote banks. The visit of the SP’s Muslim candidate to a Shiv temple during Diwali has further sparked controversy.

Polling for nine assembly seats will take place on November 13, with the campaigning period set to end on November 11. While the BJP has engaged all its ministers across the contested seats, the SP, aside from its candidate in Karhal, has seen its leaders largely absent from the campaign trail. However, campaigning is expected to intensify following the conclusion of the festival week.

On Saturday, SP President Akhilesh Yadav criticized the BJP, particularly Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, through a lengthy tweet addressing the Chief Minister’s statement on “Batoge to Katoge.”

Yadav wrote, “Their ‘negative slogan’ is a symbol of their disappointment and failure.” He continued, “This slogan has proven that the 10% of voters they have left are also on the verge of slipping away. That is why they are attempting to unite them through fear, but nothing of the sort will happen. ‘Negative slogans’ have an impact; in fact, since the emergence of this disappointing slogan, their remaining supporters are even more disheartened, realizing that those they thought were strong have shown weakness, despite being in power.”

He added, “The ‘ideal state’ envisioned in our country is based on ‘Abhaya,’ not ‘fear.’ It is true that only the fearful sell fear, because only those who possess fear will market it.” Yadav further stated, “This slogan will be recorded as the ‘worst slogan’ in the history of the country and will serve as the last ‘literal nail’ in the coffin of his political downfall.” He advised the BJP to change its negative views and attitudes, suggesting that a positive outlook is beneficial for the country and society. “Today’s society should be positive; the BJP is not needed!” he concluded, using the hashtags #NoToNegativePolitics.

In response to Yadav’s lengthy tweet, UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya mocked, “SP chief Shri Akhilesh Yadav’s ‘PDA’ is actually an illusion—it is not an alliance of ‘backward-dalit-minority,’ but of ‘familyism-riot-criminal.’ On the other hand, BJP’s ‘PDA’ stands for Progress, Development, and Good Governance! The BJP has propelled the country forward on the path of development by firmly fulfilling its commitment to good governance and a corruption-free India. Now the public knows who has brought the real PDA: the one who believes in the progress of the country, and the one who only believes in false slogans.” He added the hashtags #Path_of_Development, #GoodGovernance, and #Corruption_Free_India.

Meanwhile, a report from Kanpur stated that controversy erupted after SP candidate Baseem Solanki from the Sisamau assembly seat prayed at a Shiv temple during the Diwali festival on Thursday. On Saturday, All India Muslim Jamaat National President Maulana Mufti Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi issued a fatwa against Solanki for her actions, stating, “Idol worship is haram in Islam, and if someone worships according to their own wishes, strict rules apply. If the woman has done this unknowingly, then she is a criminal in the eyes of Shariat and must repent.”

On the other hand, a Hindu priest conducted a purification ritual at the Shiv temple on Saturday, bringing 1,000 liters of Gangajal from Haridwar after the SP candidate worshipped there and lit a lamp.