CEC assures security to Kairana migrants for voting

Chief Election Commissioner Naseem Zaidi on Thursday assured full security to the people who migrated from Kairana in western Uttar Pradesh and were interested to cast votes in the February 11 assembly poll.

Talking to reporters in the state capital, the CEC also said that district magistrates and police chiefs have already been directed by the poll panel to ensure full security to such people.

Zaidi was in the state capital to review the preparations for the seven phase poll in Uttar Pradesh. The first phase of polling is scheduled in western UP districts on Saturday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been raking up the issue of migration of Hindu families from Kairana and party chief Amit Shah has on many occasions made it amply clear that for his party, security and safety of such migrants remained a poll issue.

The Allahabad High Court has also recently asked officials to ensure the safety and security of people in this communally sensitive areas.

When asked about the repeated demands of the BJP to remove the state DGP Javeed Ahmad and the chief secretary Rahul Bhatnagar on charges of being very close to the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP), Zaidi said the poll panel was seized of the matter and action would be taken on the issue at an appropriate time.

--IANS

md/pgh/dg