Inflammatory posters linking Akhilesh Yadav to criminals spark outrage in UP

Controversial posters targeting Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav and the party's previous government have surfaced in Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh, triggering panic among party workers as election activities intensify across the state.

The contentious posters were put up early morning on the Gonda-Lucknow highway near Chaupal Sagar. The posters feature photographs of Akhilesh Yadav alongside Atiq Ahmad, Azam Khan and Mukhtar Ansari, with text reading "Azam, Atiq and Mukhtar used to run the government, Akhilesh's mafia, mafia's Akhilesh."

The posters also include separate newspaper clippings related to Atiq Ahmad, Azam Khan and Mukhtar Ansari placed in the middle.

The developments come amid a continuing round of verbal attacks and counter-attacks as election fever mounts in the state. Party workers from the Samajwadi Party reacted swiftly to the appearance of the inflammatory posters.

After receiving information about the posters being put up, Lal Chandra Gautam, state secretary of Samajwadi Lohiya Vahini, called local people and tore down both the controversial posters that had been put up at the location.

The incident reflects the heightening political temperature in Uttar Pradesh as parties gear up for the upcoming polls, with political rhetoric and poster wars becoming increasingly common features of the campaign landscape.