The alleged "exodus" of Hindus from Uttar Pradesh's Kairana before 2017 - a claim widely debunked as a communal bogey - took centre-stage as Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday launched a door-to-door election campaign in the state's west.
The BJP first list for 2022 Uttar Pradesh Polls does not contain the names of a single Muslim, though candidates have been nominated for constituencies dominated by the community.