By Amita Verma
Lucknow, Sep 9 (IANS): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh is now eyeing around three crore voters from the state who are living in other states, particularly Maharashtra.
The party, according to sources, has asked its units in various states to prepare a list of Uttar Pradesh residents who are living in their states.
A senior party functionary said, "There are a large number of people from Uttar Pradesh who are living in states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Delhi and West Bengal. They are registered as voters in UP but often do not come here to cast their votes. We plan to contact these voters before the state Assembly elections."
The BJP members who are living in other states, will now be asked to create awareness in their respective states about the work done by the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh.
The party, in particular, will focus on Maharashtra that has a large number of people from Uttar Pradesh working there.
Apart from those who have settled in Maharashtra, there is a large population of migrant workers who work there but their families live in Uttar Pradesh.
Former Minister of State for Home Kripa Shankar Singh, who is a popular leader of the north Indian population living in Maharashtra, has been asked by the BJP to undertake the task of bringing north Indians into the party fold. Singh belongs to Jaunpur district in UP.
Talking to IANS on Thursday, Kripa Shankar Singh, who is in Lucknow on a two-day visit, said, "There are about 45 lakh people from Uttar Pradesh who stay in Maharashtra. I will be touring various constituencies to mobilise them in favour of the BJP."
He further said, "The work done by the Yogi Adityanath government in controlling the law-and-order situation, ensuring a corruption free administration, inviting investments and controlling Covid during the pandemic has been exemplary. We will inform our supporters who will spread the word among other UP residents in their states."
He further said that north Indians living in Maharashtra would certainly not vote for the Shiv Sena that had targeted non-Maharashtrians in a big way and the north Indians there bore the brunt.
"Those who go with Shiv Sena cannot be 'Uttar Bhartiya (north Indians)," he added.
Kripa Shankar Singh, who was in the Congress earlier, has recently joined the BJP and has been appointed vice-president in the Maharashtra unit.