UP polls: RLD's Jayant Chaudhury makes U-turn, says 'will try to vote' after flak from BJP

After receiving flak for not casting his vote in the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhury Thursday said that he would “try to vote at booths open till 6 pm”. “I’m a voter of Mathura. Right now, we’re in Bijnor as there is just two days’ time for campaigning between the first and second rounds of UP polls. My wife voted in the morning itself. After campaigning ends here, I’ll try to vote at booths open till 6 pm,” he told ANI. Earlier in the day, his office announced on Twitter that the RLD chief would skip voting today in view of election rallies. Chaudhary, who is a voter from the Mathura region, is busy with his election rally and will hence give the voting a miss, the party said. Chaudhary’s RLD and Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party are in alliance for the state elections. Both the leaders will jointly hold an election campaign at Numaish Maidan in the Bijnore district of Uttar Pradesh. Chaudhary further expressed confidence that voters will give a chance to the SP-RLD alliance this time by walking on the path of progress. “He (PM) might be considering himself very powerful but we’re walking on the path to progress. I’m very confident that our views have reached to grassroots and voters will give us chance,” the RLD chief told ANI on PM Narendra Modi’s statement that BJP will win all the five states. He also affirmed that the SP-RLD alliance is moving ahead with hope and positive thoughts along with promoting positive politics. “You can call me ‘baccha’ or ’ladka’, I don’t care. We’re going ahead with hopeful and positive thoughts. We want to promote positive politics. Akhilesh and I want to work on the issues of employment, agriculture, much needed industrialization in western UP,” he added. His remark came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday took a dig at SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and RLD chief, who are contesting the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls in an alliance with remarks that the state had earlier also seen the “game of two boys” and ‘buaji’ too was with them but the people of the state had rejected their alliances. “Ye do ladkon wala khel to humne pehle bhi dekha tha (This game of boys we have seen earlier too. They had so much arrogance that they used the words “Gujarat’s two donkeys. And the people of Uttar Pradesh showed them the ‘hisab (befitting reply)’. And then there were these two boys and there was ‘buaji’ also with them and still they could not make it,” he said in an exclusive interview with ANI. Chaudhary also took a jibe at PM Modi for exhorting people that they shouldn’t let UP become Kerala and West Bengal. “PM is giving statements and you also saw the vote appeal of CM Yogi where he says that don’t let UP become Kerala and West Bengal,” the RLD chief said. Earlier in the morning, Chaudhary had issued an appeal to the people of the state to come out in large numbers and cast their votes. He said the people should vote to elect a government that fulfils their aspirations. “I request each and every one of you to step out of your houses and utilize your right to vote. Elect a government that cares about you. Please also inspire the people around you to do the same,” he said in a video issued on the party’s Twitter account. The RLD chief further stated: “Before casting votes, do recall what happened in the last five years in the state… elect a government which cares about you, talks about your rights, keep the society united, provides opportunities to youth, respects and protects the women and turns diversity into our strength to work for the development of state and the country.” Responding sharply to Chaudhary’s abstinence from exercising his franchise, the BJP called his move “irresponsible”. BJP’s Amit Malviya tweeted: “How responsible is it for Jayant Chaudhary to not go out and vote because he has an election rally? What message is he sending? Has he already abandoned the idea of winning? Why should people come out and even consider the RLD when he isn’t serious about casting his vote?” While the RLD leader stayed away, his wife cast her vote. Sharing her photo, Chaudhary tweeted that she had cast her vote from Mathura. Covering the Jat-dominant belt of western Uttar Pradesh, the first phase of polls covers 58 assembly constituencies across 11 districts of the state. These districts include Shamli, Meerut, Hapur, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahar, Aligarh, Agra, Gautam Buddha Nagar, and Mathura. The voting, which will conclude at 6 pm, is taking place at 25,849 polling stations and 10,766 polling centres. As many as 623 candidates are in the fray. As per the set norms, the campaigning for the first phase of the UP polls ended on Tuesday (8 February) at 6 pm, marking the start of a 48-hour-long silence period. The police have sealed the borders of the state and strict vigilance is underway to maintain peace in 58 constituencies where elections are underway. Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all the voters in Uttar Pradesh to participate in the elections while following the necessary COVID-19 guidelines. “Today is the first phase of voting in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. I request all the voters to participate enthusiastically in this holy festival of democracy by following the rules of COVID. Remember - Vote first, then refreshments,” read PM Modi’s tweet roughly translated from Hindi. The 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly is scheduled to go to the polls in seven phases on 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 February, 3 and 7 March. The counting of votes will take place on 10 March. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram