A day before polling begins for nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has written to the Election Commission (EC), raising concerns over alleged misuse of power by police officials during past elections.
The party has demanded that Muslim women voters not be subjected to burqa removal during the voting process.
The letter, submitted by the SP on Monday, requested the EC to issue a written directive to Returning Officers, District Magistrates, General Observers, and police officials to ensure that police personnel refrain from verifying voter ID cards on polling day. According to the SP, this responsibility lies solely with polling officers.
The SP alleged that during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, police officers at polling stations intimidated Muslim women voters by forcing them to remove their burqas for identification. The party claims this led to many voters leaving without casting their ballots, significantly reducing voter turnout in affected areas.
The by-election is being viewed as a battle of prestige for both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition SP. While the results will not impact the formation or collapse of the government, their political significance is immense. This is the first major electoral test for the BJP after the SP-Congress alliance inflicted a blow to the NDA in Uttar Pradesh during the general elections.
Campaigning for the nine assembly seats ended at 5 p.m. on Monday. Voting will take place on Wednesday, November 20, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. These by-elections were necessitated by various reasons, and the notification for them was issued on October 18.
Despite the official announcement a month ago, all parties had been preparing for the contest for several months. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has actively overseen the BJP’s campaign, delegating seat-wise responsibilities to ministers as early as July. The BJP has fielded candidates on eight of the nine seats, while its NDA ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) is contesting the Meerapur seat.
The BJP has anchored its campaign on development and Hindutva, projecting its governance track record and ideological commitments. In contrast, the SP has focused on consolidating its PDA alliance, which targets backward classes, Dalits, and minorities.
As the state braces for polling day, political observers anticipate that the by-election results will carry significant implications for the BJP and SP ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
