Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 10 (IANS): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and is Kerala Chief Minister counterpart Pinarayi Vaijayan were trading barbs over social media over the situation in their states.

In a video released ahead of polling in Uttar Pradesh, where voting for the first phase was underway on Thursday, Adityanath told the electorate that their vote will decide the future of the state, which could soon become a "Kashmir, Bengal or Kerala" if mistakes were made. "Many good things have taken place in five years. (Vote correctly or) the work from all these five years will be ruined. Uttar Pradesh could become Kashmir, Kerala and Bengal. This is a time for big decisions," he said.

Vijayan retorted on Twitter on Thursday. "If UP turns into Kerala as @myogiadityanath fears, it will enjoy the best education, health services, social welfare, living standards and have a harmonious society in which people won't be murdered in the name of religion and caste. That's what the people of UP would want," he said.