Accusing the SP government of misusing the state machinery for winning the Block Pramukh polls, the BJP charged that ever since the election schedule was announced, the state police has been working on a single point agenda of ensuring the victory of ruling party candidates. The BJP has lodged a complaint with the State Election Commission and sought its intervention for ensuring free and fair polls.
State BJP chief, laxmi Kant Bajpai said in luckow on Saturday that the Opposition party candidates in the fray for block pramukh and block development committee members were being prevented from filing their nominations.
“Even if they managed to file papers, SP candidates and supporters were snatching and tearing them and such incidents are happening in the know of the police and district administration. Besides, Opposition party candidates were being booked in fake cases and conditions were being created so that they are not able to cast their votes on February 7. Despite blatant violence against Opposition candidates by SP leaders, the police has refused to lodge FIRs against them,” charged Bajpai.
In a complaint filed with the SEC, the BJP pointed out that the son of former state BJP chief, Surya Pratap Shahi, was set up in a case to prevent him from contesting the polls.
“In Dhanpatganj block of Sultanpur, Janki devi was attacked by ruling party goons. In Kalyanpur block of Kanpur Nagar, a district panchyat member Mahendra Singh Chandel and three BDC members were threatened to stay indoors or face dire consequences. Even in lucknow, the situation is no better. In Kakori block, a BDC member Ramvilas Rawat was abducted by the police. Similar incidents took place in Ferozabad. In several districts, the police led from the front in ensuring the victory of SP candidates,” Bajpai pointed out.
The BJP leader urged the SEC to summon records of all the FIRs lodged against candidates of the elections and they be directed against proceedings in these cases till the polls were over.
Meanwhile, rejecting the BJP charge, SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said that the Opposition parties could not even find candidates for the polls and since they have nothing to say hence they are leveling baseless charges.
Chaudhary claimed that the voters have rejected the Opposition in panchyat polls. He claimed said that so far 345 candidates of the SP have been elected unopposed as block pramukh.