NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday demanded suspension of the SHOs of Kakrouli and Ibrahimpur areas in Uttar Pradesh alleging that they were stopping voters from voting in the bypolls.
The SP chief shared a video from Kakrouli area in Meerapur assembly seat which showed a police official dressed in riot gear showing gun to some women. Tagging Election Commission in a post on X, Akhilesh Yadav wrote: “Election Commission should immediately suspend SHO of Kakrouli police station area of Meerapur because he is stopping voters from casting their votes by threatening them with a revolver.”
He also shared another video in which some burqa-clad women were heard saying that they were not being allowed to go to the polling station by the police officials.
“There should be immediate suspension action against the SHO who used indecent behaviour and language with women to prevent them from casting their votes in Ibrahimpur,” he wrote on X.
As 9 seats voted in bypolls today in the state, Akhilesh Yadav targeted the ruling BJP accusing it of misusing the administrative machinery to secure a win in the bypolls “through manipulation”.
In counter-attack, BJP also accused SP workers of hooliganism and bogus voting with women and men donning burqa.
Earlier in the day, in a press conference in Lucknow, Akhilesh Yadav accused BJP of improperly using administrative resources to win the bypolls.
Yadav stated that his party had filed complaints with the Election Commission regarding electoral irregularities in several constituencies, including Karhal, Sisamau, Meerapur, Kundarki, Phulpur, and Majhawan, but claimed the EC was not addressing these concerns.
“The BJP wants to win these bypolls not through votes, but through manipulation,” the former chief minister stated, adding that the ruling party was “pressuring the administration to act unfairly” and prevent opposition supporters from voting.
Meanwhile, the EC suspended police personnel for violating guidelines after Yadav presented video evidence of voter harassment. He suggested the BJP was blocking opposition voters to compensate for their diminishing support base.
BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary also accused Samajwadi Party workers of disruptive behaviour during the elections, alleging they brought in outsiders and engaged in fraudulent voting practices.
“The red-capped goons of Akhilesh Yadav, who gave the slogan of ‘PDA’ (pichhde, Dalit, and alpsankhyak), are trying to spread terror,” Chaudhary stated at a press conference.
Chaudhary criticised the SP’s opposition to voter ID verification and alleged their involvement in electoral malpractices. He referenced incidents in Mainpuri and accused the SP of undermining electoral integrity.
Deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak separately characterised the SP as an organisation of troublemakers. He alleged electoral misconduct, including men wearing burqas to vote fraudulently.