UP elections: 'Arjun' Nitish Kumar and 'Lord Krishna' Sharad Yadav to sound poll buggle in Varanasi today

Lucknow: Ahead of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's rally in Uttar Pradesh, the Janata Dal (United) president has been depicted as 'Arjun' and party leader Sharad Yadav as 'Lord Krishna' in posters in Varanasi.

Kumar will launch his party's election campaign for the 2017 Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh by addressing a workers' rally in Varanasi today with prohibition as the main electoral issue.

Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party's Uttar Pradesh president Keshav Prasad Maurya was depicted as 'Lord Krishna' and 'Arjun' in posters in Allahabad. He however, warned of strict action against those who depict him as God in posters or hoardings.

BJP, Samajwadi Party, Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party have all decided to go alone in the UP polls scheduled for next year.

While BJP is banking on party president Amit Shah's poll management skills and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charisma, the Congress has roped in master strategist Prashant Kishor to revive itself in the cow belt state.

Kishor is credited of planning the successful election strategy for Modi's 2014 Lok Sabha elections and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the assembly polls of November 2015.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party will rely on the Yadav clan and BSP would bank on Mayawati to turn the tables on their side.