Game on! BJP-SP indulge in poster war ahead of UP Assembly polls

After the Samajwadi Party put up hoardings and posters with the tagline "2022 mein khela hoi" in Kanpur and Varanasi, the ruling BJP has reacted with posters that proclaim "2022 mein khela na hoi". Of course, the original inspiration behind the slogan remains Mamata Banerjee and her now-famous tagline 'Khela Hobe' that caught voters' fancy in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls

BJP posters with '2022 mein khela na hoi' (Pic courtesy: IANS)

The 'Khela Hobe' (Game On) slogan caught the fancy of the Bengal voters as they rallied behind Didi - Mamata Banerjee - to give her party Trinamool Congress (TMC) a massive victory in the West Bengal Assembly polls, against the BJP. As Uttar Pradesh gets ready for 2022 Assembly polls, the Samajwadi Party (SP) is trying to follow in TMC's footsteps in more ways than one. While the party will be hoping to recreate a similar victory (as TMC's) over BJP, for starters, they have swiftly adopted the catchy slogan of Bengal CM -- SP workers have painted its Bhojpuri version - 'Khela Hoi' - on the walls of several cities across the state few days ago.

And now, the poster war seems to have hotted up. After the Samajwadi Party put up hoardings and posters with the tagline "2022 mein khela hoi" in Kanpur and Varanasi, the ruling BJP has reacted with posters that proclaim "2022 mein khela na hoi". The BJP posters have been put up by a local leader Bachchi Yadav and prominently carry the photograph of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The Samajwadi posters had been put up by a local party leader Abdul Samad. "Goonda, mafia, bhu-mafia, bhrashtachari are desh drohi ka khela khatam hoi," the BJP poster further says.

This is probably the first time that the SP and BJP are indulging in a direct poster war and that too, through its workers.

Bachchi Yadav, the BJP leader, said, "There will be no game because we will not allow it. 'Games' are engineered by those who do not have a clean slate and want to grab power to shield their corruption. The BJP is banking on its work and development so there is no room for any game."

(With IANS inputs)