Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath will lead the BJP to 300 plus seats in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

While addressing the BJP supporters in Gorakhpur, ahead of the nomination process of Adityanath, the former BJP chief said, “We are going to repeat history in UP. In 2014, 2017 and 2019 polls, the people of UP chose the development under the leadership of PM Modi and gave the absolute majority.

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Today with CM Yogi filing nomination, BJP is marching ahead with the resolve of ‘300 paar’ (300 plus).” He further said, “When I was made the BJP incharge (of UP) in 2013, then journalists used to say that I am being sent to a place where the party would perhaps not touch even double digits in elections. However, it was the opposition that did not touch double digits.”

He highlighted the Modi government’s social welfare schemes like Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Ayushman Bharat and COVID-19 vaccination drive that helped the people of UP immensely.

Shah further said Adityanath-led government in the state ensured that all welfare schemes reached the needy on a timely basis.

“For 2 years, Yogi did the work of laying the foundation of good governance here, in view of that, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, all the opposition parties gathered and formed a grand alliance. I had said in the Bhubaneswar executive committee that those who are left should also get together and do it, we will once again form the government with a two-thirds majority. 65 seats came again under the leadership of Modi,” he said.

Shah said that the people of Uttar Pradesh gave us a majority in the 2017 assembly elections also with more than 300 seats.

“PM Modi is also representing Uttar Pradesh in Lok Sabha. PM Modi always says that unless Uttar Pradesh is developed, the country’s development is impossible. PM Modi has always been engaged for the upliftment of poor, backward, Dalit and tribal,” Shah said.

Shah also took a dig at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav saying that ‘goonda raj’ has been contained under Yogi rule.

“Mafia is seen at only 3 places in UP now – they’re either in jail or outside UP or they appear in the candidate list of SP for Uttar Pradesh Elections 2022. Mafia used to rule UP, Police was scared of them. Today, the mafia walks up to the Police station to surrender,” he added.

Yogi is scheduled to file his nomination papers from the Gorakhpur constituency today and will be accompanied by Union Home Minister.

Earlier in the day, Adityanath offered prayers at Gorakhnath temple, ahead of filing nomination for the state Assembly election.

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.