Ahead of UP bypolls, SP, BJP lodge complaints with chief electoral officer

Ahead of the December 5 bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party submitted a memorandum to the state chief electoral officer seeking action to stop fake voting

Ahead of the December 5 bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party on Saturday submitted a memorandum to the state chief electoral officer seeking action to stop fake voting, while the BJP has approached the official, alleging that its rival is "threatening" people.

While the Samajwadi Party (SP) in a memorandum has sought concrete action to safeguard against fake voting in the Rampur Sadar assembly segment, the BJP has urged the chief electoral officer (CEO) to put a check on "anarchic elements" of its rivals in the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency.

The Uttar Pradesh BJP in a statement said the party's state general secretary JPS Rathore has written to the CEO mentioning a "list of miscreants in the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency and demanded strict action against them".

In its letter, the ruling party in the state has also demanded tight security at highly sensitive polling booths to prevent miscreants from capturing them.

The BJP has alleged that the Model Code of Conduct has been violated by the SP in Mainpuri and voters are still being "intimidated by the anarchists of the SP who are openly threatening voters by going from village to village with weapons and convoys of vehicles".

Rathore claimed that sarees and sweaters for children are being distributed to voters on behalf of the SP.

The SP in a statement said its national secretary Rajendra Chaudhary has submitted a memorandum to the CEO, addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner in New Delhi, demanding transfer of Rampur Superintendent of Police Ashok Shukla, Circle Officer (City) Anuj Pahalwan, Kotwali police station in-charge Gajendra Tyagi and an officer at the police station Surendra Pachauri with immediate effect.

The Akhilesh Yadav-led party has also asked for the removal of "excessive deployment" of paramilitary forces and police in Rampur Sadar, which, it claimed, was contrary to the instructions of the Election Commission of India.

The SP has demanded that "100 per cent voter slips should be distributed in Muslim-dominated areas and the process of harassment of its workers be stopped in Rampur Sadar", according to the party's statement.

Besides this, concrete action should be taken to "stop the conspiracy to get fake votes cast on polling day on the basis of fake Aadhaar cards being made by BJP", and elections should be conducted under the "supervision of military and paramilitary forces", it said.

By-elections are being held in Mainpuri parliamentary constituency and Rampur and Khatauli assembly constituencies of Uttar Pradesh on December 5 and counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.