'Baba Bulldozer' will be gone just like farm laws: Akhilesh Yadav hits out at Yogi Adityanath

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has altered the caste coalition a bit in the run up to the polls. (File image)

Amid the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took a jibe at incumbent Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath by calling him "Baba Bulldozer". He also said that "Baba" will lose the election just like contentious farm laws were withdrawn.

"I want to tell BJP leaders agar Kaka chale gaye toh Baba bhi chale jaenge (if black farm laws were taken back, CM Yogi will also go back)," Yadav said. He was addressing a rally in Rudauli of Ayodhya district, Uttar Pradesh.

"Yogi Adityanath changed the name of everything. Till now we were calling him 'Baba Chief Minister' but today one of the reputed English newspapers called him 'Baba Bulldozer'... I have not kept this name... And by the time the vote is held, the government will change," Akhilesh Yadav added.

The "Bulldozer" reference was taken by the Yogi Adityanath government to vacate illegally occupied land and properties using a bulldozer.

In the first two phases of polls in the state, voting was held on the 113 constituencies and 59 seats went go to polls in the third phase on February 20 and fourth phase will begin on February 23.

Meanwhile, citing the decline in COVID-19 cases, the Election Commission Sunday restored the number of star campaigners a party can field for campaigning in the ongoing polls in five states.

Now, recognised national and state parties can field a maximum of 40 star campaigners. Other parties which are registered but not recognised can now have 20 star campaigners.

The Commission had in October 2020 reduced the number of star campaigners for recognised national and state parties from 40 to 30, as large gatherings were witnessed during campaigning in Bihar assembly elections and bypolls in several states amid the coronavirus pandemic.

(With inputs from agencies)