“The BJP is forcing the police-administration to adopt every possible means to defeat the candidate of the INDIA coalition. Instead of conducting impartial elections, the police administration is working as agents of the BJP there,” wrote the Uttar Pradesh unit of Congress party on X
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — A number of Muslim voters in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghosi constituency have alleged that they were prevented from casting their votes. They also claimed to have received threats of fictitious cases filed against them if they venture out of their homes to participate in the election process, reports reaching here said on Tuesday.
Bypolls for seven assembly seats across six states — Dumri in Jharkhand, Puthuppally in Kerala, Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripura, Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, and Dhupguri in West Bengal — began in right earnest at 7 am.
INDIA alliance has put up a united front behind the dominant Samajwadi Party in Ghosi, Uttar Pradesh, behind the leading JMM in Jharkhand’s Dumri, behind the stronger CPI(M) in Dhanpur and Boxanagar in Tripura, and behind the preeminent Congress in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar.
Through its X handle, the Uttar Pradesh unit of the Congress party posted a video of people complaining about being prevented from casting votes in Ghosi.
“In the Ghosi byelection, the Chief Electoral Officer Vinit Singh is not allowing Muslim voters to cast their votes. He is confiscating their Aadhaar cards and voter ID cards and driving them away. Not only that, he is also threatening to put them in jail. The BJP is forcing the police-administration to adopt every possible means to defeat the candidate of the INDIA coalition. Instead of conducting impartial elections, the police administration is working as agents of the BJP there,” wrote the party on X.
The party urged the Election Commission to take note of the incident.
In the video, several voters alleged that their ID cards were taken away. “I have been sent back five times. I was told that we would not be allowed to cast a vote and asked to go home. Else, cases will be filed against us,” said a voter.
“I was told that if I come again, I will be put behind bars…we were chased,” said another voter.
The residents alleged that it’s not only minority community members who are being prevented from casting votes. There are hundreds of others who were prevented from casting votes.
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party has also written to the Election Commission about Muslims being prevented from casting votes.
“The polling officer at booth Number 137 of the Ghosi constituency is not allowing Muslims to vote. When they reach the booth, they were told that their vote has already been cast,” alleged Arvind Kumar Singh, national executive member of the party.
He claimed the police officer and polling booth officer hurled abuses at Muslim voters when they raised objections.
The head of Daulatpoor village and the agent of booth Number 419 were forced to ensure that residents voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party, said Singh.
The Samajwadi Party leader has requested the Election Commission to take strict action against the erring officials.
More than 43 per cent of the electorate in the assembly constituency exercised their franchise right till 3 p.m.
The bypolls are significant as this is the first face-off between the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the INDIA alliance ahead of assembly polls in several major states later this year.