"Vote with sense of hope, not sense of fear" Asaduddin Owaisi appeals to voters

Addressing a public meeting in Uttar Pradesh's Phulpur on Thursday, Owaisi said, "You voted for Congress, Socialist Party, Janta Dal, Janta Party, and Samajwadi Party till now but you got nothing and to whom you voted for, you changed their destiny. You let them sit on the throne of either Delhi or Lucknow and to whomsoever you helped succeed, they destroyed us..."

"We have been voting for the last 50-60 years with a sense of fear and that's why the problems increased. I want you to vote with hope. Vote is a trust and make its proper use...," he added.

Owais's AIMIM has allied with Pallavi Patel of Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) under the banner of P.D.M (Backward, Dalit, and Muslim). In the 2022 assembly elections, AIMIM fielded candidates on 95 seats, securing over 4.5 lakh votes.

Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs, 80, to Parliament, is voting in all seven phases.

In the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 25, voting will take place in Bhadohi, Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Phulpur, Allahabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Shrawasti, Domariyaganj, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Lalganj, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, and Machhlishahr.

In the 2019 polls, the BJP mopped up the bulk of the electoral spoils in the state, winning 62 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats, while ally Apna Dal (S) won two more seats. Mayawati's BSP managed to secure 10 seats, while her then-alliance partner, Akhilesh Yadav's SP, had to settle for just 5 seats. The Congress won just a lone seat in the state.

In the 2014 elections, the BJP swept UP, winning 71 seats, while the Congress could only bag 2.

The next round of voting would be held on May 25 and June 1.

Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases till June 1. Polling for five phases has already been concluded. The counting of the votes will take place on June 4. (ANI)