Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday urged people eligible to vote in the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls to participate in the exercise enthusiastically.
Remember that pahle matdan, phir jalpan" (First vote, then have breakfast), Modi tweeted.
He urged voters to participate in this festival of democracy while adhering to COVID-19 norms.
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi urged people to vote to free the country from any "fear".
"Free the country from all fears -- come out and vote," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.
The battle for Uttar Pradesh began on Thursday with polling at 58 assembly seats spread across 11 districts in the western part of the state.
The districts where polling is being held are Shamli, Hapur, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mathura and Agra.
