Raju Kohli, a voter in UP, turned up at a polling booth dressed like Yogi Adityanath
As the first phase of polling for the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh got underway on Thursday, a man dressed himself up as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and turned up at a booth in Noida to cast his vote. Wearing a saffron robe and mask, he was accompanied by a few people outside the polling booth at Sector 11. The man, identified as Raju Kohli, had perfected the smile of the Chief Minister, although half of his face was covered by the mask.
From a video shared by news agency ANI, Mr Kohli's walking style matched that of the Chief Minister. As he walked towards the polling booth, several passers-by stopped to see him while others took out their mobile phones to click photos and videos.
Inside the polling station, Mr Kohli stopped to ask a policeman where he should go to cast his vote. The policeman helped him. The video has been viewed over 29,500 times.
Uttar Pradesh holds great significance for all political parties. The state will vote in seven phases till March 7, and the results will be declared on March 10.
In the first phase on Thursday, 58 constituencies of the crucial western part of the state, which is the hub of the 11-month farmers' protests, are voting. More than 620 candidates are in the fray in the first phase and 2.27 crore people are eligible to vote. Polling began at 7 am in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines. The voting is expected to end at 6 pm.
The BJP has governed the state for the past five years under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He is seeking a second term in the state, with former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party being the main challenger. Uttar Pradesh has a total of 403 assembly seats.