Lucknow: Amid allegation of rigging and hooliganism, all nine assembly constituencies of Uttar Pradesh that went to bypolls on Wednesday (November 20) recorded a voter turnout a little over 50 percent - with polling concluding at 5 p.m.
According to the Election Commission (EC), Karhal reported a turnout of 53.92 percent, Katehari 56.69 percent, Ghaziabad 33.30 percent, Sishamau 49.03 percent, Meerapur 57.02 percent, Majhawan 50.41 percent, Khair 46.35 percent, Phulpur 43.43 percent and Kunderki 57.32 percent.
A confrontation erupted today between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition Samajwadi Party (SP). Both parties accused each other of foul play.
The SP accused the BJP of manipulating the electoral process and questioned the impartiality of the Election Commission (EC). The BJP shot back, alleging that SP workers were engaging in hooliganism and attempting to rig votes. It claimed both men and women were illegally voting disguised in burqas (veil).
During a press conference in Lucknow, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the BJP was using administrative machinery to ensure a win through manipulation rather than legitimate votes. He claimed that his party had filed complaints with the EC about “irregularities” in multiple constituencies – Majhawan, Phulpur, Kundarki, Meerapur, Sisamau and Karhal.
Yadav further alleged that the EC had ignored these complaints. “The BJP wants to win these bypolls not through votes, but through manipulation,” he has been quoted by PTI as saying.
He also said that the ruling party was “pressuring” the administration to “act unfairly” and preventing Opposition supporters from voting. “I urge voters to go to polling booths... and stay there until they have cast their vote. This is a right granted to us, and everyone must exercise it,” he added.
Yadav criticised the saffron party for “violating” EC guidelines with regard to voter ID checks and obstructing people from casting their ballots. After the SP supremo presented video evidence, showing voters being harassed and blocked from voting, the EC had earlier ordered the suspension of police personnel involved in violating these guidelines.
He claimed that the BJP was preventing people who intended to vote for Opposition parties from voting. It, he said, happened because of the lack of enthusiasm among their supporters.
“Many of their own people are opposing them. Their voters are slipping away and even voting against them,” he said and described these actions as “signs of panic and desperation”. He said it shows that the BJP’s throne is “shaking”.
Responding to the allegation, BJP’s UP President Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary accused SP workers of indulging in hooliganism during the by-elections. He alleged that SP supporters were trying to influence the polls by importing outsiders and anti-social elements, who included veil-clad women, for bogus voting.
“The red-capped goons of Akhilesh Yadav, who gave the slogan of ‘PDA’ (pichhde, Dalit, and alpsankhyak), are trying to spread terror,” he alleged during a presser in Lucknow. “Neither the government nor the Bharatiya Janata Party nor the people of Uttar Pradesh will tolerate this,” he added.
Chaudhary said the SP was pushing for a ban on police checks of voter IDs because the party was trying to manipulate the election by using fake IDs. “Fake voting has become the trademark of the Samajwadi Party,” he said and emphasized the importance of voter ID checks to maintain electoral transparency.
He also claimed that the SP had brought in outsiders and anti-social elements to influence the polls. “The way women wearing burqas are participating in fake voting is evident to all,” he said.
He further accused the SP of undermining the credibility of the EC. “Creating chaos is their trademark. They are outsourcing voters by creating fake identity cards,” he alleged.
Chaudhary also said that the SP’s frustration stemmed from growing discontent among people for the party’s leadership. “The SP, which once looted ballot boxes to form a government, has been rejected by the people. Their behaviour reveals their true character,” he said and claimed that the BJP would secure a significant victory in the by-elections and defeat the Samajwadi Party.
Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Brajesh Pathak also weighed in. He described the SP a “party of hooligans and criminals”. “Whenever they got power in the state, they supported criminals. The bypoll is taking place peacefully, but their gunde (goons) and mafia are creating chaos in every assembly seat. Since the innocent people are not voting for them, they are intimidating them to get their votes,” he said. “We have seen in these polls that men are donning burqas to cast votes, and the BJP has lodged complaints with the EC in this regard,” Pathak claimed.
Pathak, referring to the Karhal incident, urged the Dalit community to take note of the crime and to never forgive the SP. “The SP is no longer a party of the Yadav community. It is now limited to a family only, which is condemnable,” he added.
Bypoll in Sisamau assembly segment was held after the conviction of Irfan Solanki, the SP MLA who represented the constituency. Now, his wife is in the fray. Of all the nine constituencies, Karhal is the most talked about seat because it was vacated by SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav. A former Member of Parliament from Mainpuri, Akhilesh's nephew Tej Pratap Singh Yadav is contesting from the seat.
As the voting began today, the SP that had issued helpline numbers, registered more than 20 complaints - claiming that party supporters were stopped from voting.
SP's alliance partner, the Congress, did not take part in the bypoll. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) too did not take any interest. It made the contest mainly between the SP and the BJP.
The SP had bagged four of the nine constituencies - Kundarki, Katehri, Sisamau and Karhal - in 2022, while three - Khair, Phulpur and Ghaziabad - were won by the BJP. The rest two seats - Manjhawan and Meerapur - ere with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and NISHAD party respectively. The two outfits are coalition partners of the incumbent BJP.
