UP Polls: After being shown black flags, Mamata Banerjee sits on stairs to watch Ganga aarti in Varanasi

The West Bengal CM sat on the stairs of the Dashashwamedh Ghat to watch the aarti in an apparent protest against the showing of the black flag to her. Even while the organizers requested her to sit on a chair, Banerjee continued to sit on the stairs.

Varanasi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was shown black flags amid chants of "Jai Sri Ram" in Varanasi on Wednesday when she was on the way to take part in Ganga Aarti. Banerjee sat on the stairs of the Dashashwamedh Ghat to watch 'Ganga Aarti' in an apparent protest against the showing of the black flag to her. Even while the organizers requested her to sit on a chair, Banerjee continued to sit on the stairs.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Keshav Prasad Maurya today took to Twitter and posted, "Expressing dissatisfaction on hearing the chants of 'Jai Sri Ram' will not stop the people from chanting it. People will chant 'Har Har Mahadev' in Kashi, 'Radhe Radhe' and 'Jai Sri Krishna' in Mathura-Vrindavan."

He added that the plan of the Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav to turn UP into West Bengal will never be fulfilled and that the 'Lotus' will bloom in UP. Banerjee is campaigning for the SP and its allies in Varanasi. Polling for the sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections began at 7 am today and will continue till 6 pm.

Polling is being held for 57 Assembly constituencies spread across 10 districts, including Gorakhpur, Ambedkarnagar, Ballia, Balrampur, Basti, Deoria, and Kushinagar among others. Polling for the seventh phase, which will be the last, will be held on March 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.