"Challenge Accepted": Yogi Adityanath On Asaduddin Owaisi's Poll Comment

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister today shot back at prominent Muslim leader Asaduddin Owaisi a day after the latter asserted that he won't allow Yogi Adityanath's return at the helm of affairs in the state that goes to polls in 2022.

Chief Minister Adityanath said the BJP's workers will accept the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief's challenge and ruled out any doubts on his party's return to power.

"Owaisi ji is a big national leader. He goes to different parts of the country for campaigning and has his own credibility among people. If he has challenged the BJP, then the BJP worker will accept his challenge," Mr Adityanath said.

"The BJP will form the government, and there should be no doubt on this," he said. He added that the BJP's central leadership had fixed a target of 300-plus assembly seats in polls, which, he said, it will win.

Mr Owaisi had yesterday said that his party and its allies will work hard to ensure that the BJP does not return to power in Uttar Pradesh.

"Inshallah, we will not allow Yogi (Adityanath) to become the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh again. If our morale is high and we work hard, then everything will happen. Inshallah, our endeavour is that the BJP government is not formed in Uttar Pradesh," the Hyderabad-based leader had said.

His AIMIM, which plans to contest 100 of Uttar Pradesh's 403 Assembly seats, has formed an alliance with the Om Prakash Rajbhar-led Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh election. The SBSP, in turn, has joined hands with nine other smaller outfits, together known as Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha, which will reportedly contest from all seats.