'Pressing Lotus symbol means dropping nuke on Pakistan': UP Dy CM

BJP's Keshav Prasad Maurya on Sunday claimed that voting for the saffron party will mean a "nuclear bomb has automatically dropped on Pakistan."  The statement by the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh came while he was campaigning for the BJP candidate Narendra Mehta in Mira Bhayander constituency in Thane.

The BJP leader said, "If people press the lotus symbol, it will mean a nuclear bomb has been automatically dropped on Pakistan. Kindly vote for BJP and make our party win once again in Maharashtra state. I believe lotus will definitely bloom in the upcoming elections."

Taking a jibe at the Opposition parties, he said: "Goddess Lakshmi doesn't sit on a palm, bicycle or watch, rather she sits on a lotus. Article 370 was abrogated because of the flower lotus. Lotus is the symbol of development."

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Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi for abrogating Article 370, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said the previous governments never had the courage shown by the "man with 56-inch chest" in integrating Jammu and Kashmir with India's mainstream. Addressing a rally in Maharashtra's Kolhapur district ahead of the upcoming state polls, he said people should ask Congress and NCP leaders when they come to seek votes, whether they support the NDA government's decision to abrogate Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Rahul Gandhi campaigning

Days ahead of the Maharashtra elections Rahul Gandhi lashed out at the Modi government for the country's agrarian crisis and growing unemployment on Sunday. He stated that the BJP led government was diverting people's attention by talking about ISRO's Chandrayaan-2 rather than jobs, moreover stating that India's moon mission will not feed hungry citizens.

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Condemning the Centre's moves such as demonetisation and GST, he said that the economy had been decimated due to these moves. He assured that while Congress candidates did not talk about the moon, they would deliver on their promises. He also expressed pride in Maharashtra being the foundation of the Congress party. He also assured that Congress would definitely win Latur.

Maharashtra Assembly elections

In the saffron alliance, BJP will be contesting on 150 seats, and Shiv Sena will fight on 124 seats in Maharashtra. Alliance partners of BJP have fielded 14 candidates on the party's lotus symbol. Meanwhile, the Congress is contesting the polls in alliance with the NCP. Both parties are contesting on 125 seats each in the 288-member Assembly and its allies on the remaining 38 seats. The voting for the 288-member Assembly will be held on October 21 in a single phase and the counting of votes will take place on October 24. In total, Maharashtra has 8.94 crore registered voters, out of which 1.16 lakh are service voters. 1.8 lakh ballot units, 1.28 lakh control units, and 1.39 lakh VVPATs will be used in the state. 

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(With agency inputs)