As Uttar Pradesh gears up for the last three phases of polling in the ongoing Assembly elections, the joint Samajwadi Party-Congress campaign is going door-to-door, distributing a calendar, and along with it, a reminder of the poll promises of the alliance, which are somewhat populist in nature.
Volunteers are engaged in door-to-door outreach on behalf of the alliance, wearing T-shirts that bear the insignia of the tie-up, including the slogan `UP Ko Ye Saath Pasand Hai' (UP likes this alliance).
They are giving out to every household a pocket calendar with 10 priorities of the alliance, another bigger calendar and a letter from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. These are being distributed to every household across the next three phases of polling.
The ten priorities include smartphones for the youth and job guarantee for 20 lakh youth, relief from loans for farmers and cheap electricity and appropriate price for crops, pension of Rs 1,000 for one crore poor families in the state and meals for Rs 10 for the poor in the cities.
Also promised is 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs, 50 per cent reservation for women in panchayats and local bodies, power supply, water and roads for every village in a period of five years, free cycles for all schoolgirls and all meritorious students from class nine to 12 and free housing for more than 10 lakh families belonging to the Dalit community and backward classes.
Four-lane roads connecting all the districts and Metro rail in six major cities, allocation in welfare schemes for the minorities and the backward castes in accordance with their population, and planned expansion of the police helpline number 100, are other items that find place among the ten priorities.
The letter being given on behalf of Akhilesh carries his request to the people to vote for the alliance so that the ten promises can be fulfilled. The publicity material being given in the door-to-door campaign carries slogans such as 'Pragati Ke Das Kadam, Pratibadh Hain Hum' (Ten steps of progress; we are committed), `UP Ko Ye Saath Pasand Hai' and `Kaam Bolta Hai' (Our work is evident).
