Slogans lend colour to Rae Bareli electioneering

Rae Bareli, UP, May 5 (UNI) Even as electioneering draw to a close in the Bareli bypoll, slogans coined by various political outfits in favour of respective party nominees have lent a mosaic of colour to campaigning.

While Congress slogans refer to party president and candidate Sonia Gandhi as the 'bahu of Rae Bareli', Samajwadi Party is banking on development in the segment.

Congress has been trying to capitalise on the charishma of Ms Gandhi.

Party slogans on Ms Gandhi include ''Tyag ki netri'' (leader of sacrifice), ''Vikas ki devi'' (goddess of development) and ''Sonia Gandhi ki pehchaan, tyag, tapasya aur balidaan'' (Renunciation, sacrifice and determination are the identities of MS Gandhi).

Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi has given a slogan over farmers' plight that goes: ''Bahut zyada pareshani, naehron ka pani, Mulayam humko batayen kahani'' (Hardships; Mulayam Singh Yadav tell us the story about canal).

It refers to the Congress' allegations on the Samajwadi Party government, that it recently refused to accept a Rs 265 crore central project for the Indira Gandhi Canal in Rae Bareli, which would have solved the long standing problem of water.

On the other hand, SP has coined: ''Kaam kiya hai, kaam karenge, jhoote waade nahin karenge'' (We have delivered, we will deliver and not make false promises) and ''Samajwadi ka toofan badlega sab Hindustan'' (SP force will transform India).

Meanwhile, BJP posters have six posers for the electorate: Do you want shelter to terrorists; minority appeasement; reservation based on religion; threat to national security; inflation; and danger to Indian culture and ethos.

BJP maintains that if the answer to above questions is in the negative, people should vote for the saffron party.

The posters carry the images of top party leaders, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani and Kalyan Singh.

BJP president Rajnath Singh, Ms Gandhi, Mr Yadav and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and expelled BJP leader Uma Bharti have already addressed election meeting in the high profile constituency.

Rahul has been addressing such public gatherings regularly since April 25 last.

The Congress president wrapped her two-day visit to Rae Bareli yesterday after addressing one election meeting at each of the five assembly segments here -- Saraini, Satawan, Sadar, Dalmau and Bachrawan.

In the run-up to the May 8 bypoll, the constituency is decorated with flags, posters and buntings of various parties contesting the election.

There are 16 contestants in fray, including independents. The bypoll was necessisated after Ms Gandhi resigned her Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat over the post of profit controversy.

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