Elections 2022: Tikait Cautions Farmers Against Attempts To 'Polarise' Society

Rakesh Tikait, leader of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, has warned farmers against attempts by vested interests to "polarise" society and distract their focus by bringing up "Hindu-Muslim" concerns. Tikait, who was addressing to media on Sunday night while attending a private function near Iglas, also stated that farmers are "well aware" of the necessity of their vote in the upcoming assembly elections and do not require any prompting.

"In the coming weeks, Hindu-Muslim relationships and Jinnah will be common issues in political debate, and you should be aware of such distractions," the BKU leader said.

He made a cryptic comment, saying, "Hindu-Muslim and Jinnah would be official guests in UP till March 15." When questioned about farmers' voting intentions, Tikait said, "When farmers are compelled to sell their produce at half their cost price, they don't need someone to tell them how and where to vote."

Farmers are "well aware" of the essential necessity of their vote in the upcoming election, he said. The assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh will be conducted in seven stages between February 10 and March 7, with the results being declared on March 10. The counting of votes in Uttar Pradesh, along with four other states where election dates have been confirmed, will take place on March 10.

Voting in Uttar Pradesh's 403 assembly seats will take place in a phased manner beginning from the western region and progressing towards the east.

In Uttar Pradesh, elections will be conducted to elect 403 members of the Legislative Assembly. As all major political parties put their foot down ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly election, Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP) appears to have emerged as the ruling BJP's main rival. The Uttar Pradesh election will be held in seven phases on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, and March 3 and 7.