Varanasi, Mar 2 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma here on Wednesday claimed that anarchy was at its peak during previous governments of the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party but the BJP government has brought a positive change in the state in the last five years. Campaigning for BJP candidates in Varanasi, which is also the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sharma also accused the opposition parties of trying to come to power in UP with the help of "chaotic elements". “Anarchy used to be at its peak in the governments of the opposition. Such anarchic elements had the support of ruling parties. Even today the opposition wants to occupy power with the help of chaotic elements,” Sharma alleged. “Even today, the opposition is conspiring to divide people and make them fight but people need to be alert. Crime and criminals dominated the state during previous governments, encroached shops and houses of the common man. Anarchy had spread like a disease,” he claimed. In the last election, the people of UP voted in favour of the BJP and “treated this disease”, he said. Citing various development work like construction of new metro train lines, airports and expressways since 2017 in UP, Sharma said the BJP government has brought positive changes in the state in the last five years. He also said the state has got an investment of Rs 3 lakh crores which are changing the identity of the state. He added that UP today is the second-largest economy in the country. “Today Kashi (Varanasi) has also changed. Seeing the new Kashi, the people of the country and the world are astonished. The uplift of the country"s Sanatan culture is making everyone who comes here proud,” Sharma said. He added that PM Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath have worked to take India"s Sanatan culture to new heights. “Such work cannot be expected from the governments of SP, BSP and Congress,” the deputy chief minister said. Varanasi goes to the polls during the seventh and last phase of the UP assembly elections on March 7. Election results will be declared on March 10. PTI KIS RAX RAX