Lucknow corporators come to blows during polling

Corporators of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation came to blows with each other during polling for electing four members of the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) board.

It started with a verbal spat between Atul Yadav, a Samajwadi Party (SP) corporator, and Mukesh Singh Chauhan, a Congress corporator, but soon turned into a free for all forcing the indefinite postponement of the electoral process.

Officials said the proceedings were being conducted by mayor Dinesh Sharma when some corporators aired their opposition to open voting.

In the process, Mukesh Singh Chauhan and Yawar Hussain of the SP engaged in an altercation that soon spiralled out of control.

Yadav, coming to the aid of Hussain, then rained blows on Chauhan leading to the disruption of the proceedings.

Congress corporators have now demanded that Yadav be immediately suspended. Congress legislator and spokesperson Rita Bahuguna Joshi also rushed to the municipal corporation building to lend her support to her party corporators.

In voting on Monday, two members each of the SP and BJP were to be elected by the House for the LDA board.

-- Indo-Asian News Service

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