New Delhi: Soon after leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed Jayant Chaudhary for not casting his vote in first phase of Assembly elections on Thursday, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief took a u-turn and said that he would 'try' to cast his vote in Mathura.
"I'm a voter of Mathura. Right now, we are in Bijnor as there are just two days to campaign between the first and second rounds of the UP polls. My wife voted in the morning itself. After campaigning ends here, I will try to vote at booths open till 6 pm," Chaudhary told news agency ANI.
The controversy erupted after it was reported that RLD chief Chaudhary is unlikely to cast his vote due to his scheduled public rally with his ally Akhilesh Yadav in Bijnor.
Meanwhile, a photo shared by Chaudhary on Twitter showed his wife Charu Chaudhary at a polling booth in Mathura. RLD chief tweeted her photo, saying: "Charu has voted in Mathura."
Several leaders of BJP including national president JP Nadda, Uma Bharti, Amit Malviya and others flagged the issue of RLD chief not voting. However, RLD spokesperson has said that Chaudhary would cast his vote in the evening today.
Hitting out at Chaudhary, Nadda said that it shows their dynastic arrogance. "Today, a leader (RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary) did not cast his vote. It shows their dynastic arrogance. The power of democracy gives answers to such people," Nadda said during a rally in UP.
Voting in Western Uttar Pradesh is underway at as many as 58 seats in the first of the seven phases of the UP election. Till 3 pm, the state witnessed over 48 per cent voter turnout amid reports of EVM glitches at some polling booths.