Akhilesh Yadav said he will contest the polls "after taking permission from people of Azamgarh"
Samajwadi Party will start a pension scheme in the state if voted to power under which every beneficiary will get Rs 18,000 each year in financial assistance, party chief Akhilesh Yadav said today.
"Samajwadi Pension Scheme will be started if SP comes to power. Financial assistance of Rs 18,000 each will be given annually to underprivileged women and families below the poverty line (BPL) under this scheme," Akhilesh Yadav said at a press conference in Lucknow.
"Earlier under this scheme, the financial assistance given was Rs 6,000 and there isn't a family in Bundelkhand that has not benefited," he said.
Earlier in the day, Akhilesh Yadav said he will contest elections "after taking permission from the people of Azamgarh".
Elections to the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly will be held in seven phases starting February 10. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP had registered a landslide victory, winning 312 Assembly seats. The party secured a 39.67 per cent vote share in the elections. Samajwadi Party had bagged 47 seats, BSP 19 while Congress could manage only seven.