Lucknow, July 26 -- As Uttar Pradesh moves closer to assembly elections, deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak on Friday appealed for ensuring a repeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party's 2017 performance in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. They made the appeal at the birthday celebrations of prison minister Dara Singh Chauhan. The BJP alone had won 312 seats in the 403-member assembly during the 2017 polls. Members of the Chauhan community were present at the venue, Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, in large numbers for the 'Sankalp Diwas' event. State BJP president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak arrived at the venue together. Members of the Nonia caste, an OBC category to which Dara Singh Chauhan belongs, came in large numbers from across the state. Pathak was first to address the gathering after Chauhan's welcome address and Chaudhary's non-political speech that was confined to extending birthday wishes to Dara Singh Chauhan. Pathak not only attacked Samajwadi Party but also exhorted the gathering to take a 'sankalp' (oath) to vote for the BJP in the forthcoming assembly polls in 2027. "In the Samajwadi Party government, traders were most vulnerable. There was no power supply and goons ruled the roost," Pathak said. He praised the Chauhan community and contributions made by them in the freedom struggle from 1857 to 1947. "In 2027, you will vote against the Samajwadi Party. Take sankalp (oath). Ensure a repeat of 2017 in 2027," Pathak exhorted the gathering. Pathak's appeal was greeted by a big round of applause from the gathering. Maurya, whose speech was centered around various schemes launched by PM Narendra Modi for the poor, also attacked the Samajwadi Party. "You have to ensure a repeat of 2017 (assembly poll result) in 2027," he said. "PM Narendra Modi's decision of caste census has left the opposition speechless," Maurya said. He also mentioned the Indian armed forces' success during Operation Sindoor....