RECAP NEWSWRAP: U.P Election Updates To Know From Saturday  

This election season in Uttar Pradesh has been makred by an intesnse contest that has seen a bifurcation between the incumbent BJP and other opposition parties, among whom the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party seems to be the favourite contendor for unseating CM Yogi Adityanath from power.

The issue of law and order has been repeatedly used to caution against Samajwadi Party’s return to power by the BJP and also the BSP, both of whom are trying to convince the voters that basic security and safety will be under a cloud if Akhilesh Yadav assumed the top job in the state.

Akhilesh Yadav, who regularly features in press conferences an roadshows, has struck back at these comments yesterday in Aligarh, plainly stating that “those who want to play with law and order should not vote for the Samajwadi Party”, and further pointing out the present situation of law and order by citing custodial deaths and NHRC notices given to the state.

Priyanka Gandhi was also in Aligarh on SAturday for her door-to-door campaign, asking people to vote on 'real issues' like unemployment, farmers' issues, women's empowerment, and more, in a bid to counter the BJP's electoral juggernaut that focuses on uniting the 'Hindu vote' in the name of Hindutva, with recent articulations by Adityanath such as "80 vs. 20" making this strategy clear. 

Maverick political leader Chandrashekhar Azad, leader and founder of the Azad Samaj Party,  is campaigning on an alliance with smaller parties in the state and has decided to challenge the incumbent chief minister from his seat in Gorakhpur. He also alleged that it is possible that Adityanath might try to impede his nomination, and that there is an atmosphere of fear among those who oppose him in the area.