Mulayam promises loan waiver to farmers if elected to power

Moradabad, Feb 28 (ANI): Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has tried to lure farmers of Uttar Pradesh with promises of providing them with loan waivers and affordable credit, if elected to power in the state.

Addressing a rally here, Yadav said: "The Samajwadi Party promises to waive farmers' loans of upto 50,000 rupees. Also, farmers' land will not be auctioned, even if the government has to spend its own money to prevent it."

He also promised financial assistance of Rs 20,000 to the poor apart from free treatment for diseases like cancer and heart related ailments.

Mulayam's son and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav predicted a grim result for the Congress in the seventh phase of polling.

"Candidates loaned from elsewhere cannot win anybody an election, which is why some leaders are angry, and some others' language has changed. In the seventh phase, you will see that the Congress Party will be wiped out," he said.

The Uttar Pradesh polls are being viewed as an opportunity for major political parties to re-establish their foothold in the country's fifth largest and most populous state.

The first, second, third, fourth and fifth phases of polling took place on February 8, 11, 15, 19, and 23 respectively. new 403-member state assembly will be elected in March. The poll results will broadly indicate trends for the 2014 general elections. (ANI)