Samajwadi Party Alleges Intimidation & Proxy Voting In Several UP Polling Booths, Seeks EC Intervention

Lok Sabha Election 2024: The Samajwadi Party alleged that BJP was trying to start a fight with its workers, and that its members were casting votes on behalf of others at a booth.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) alleged several instances of attempted vote fraud on Monday, as the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections for 13 parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh began. 

After voting began at 7 am, the X handle of the Samajwadi Party (SP) alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers cast votes themselves for all the voters at booth number 144 in Katra of Shahjahanpur Lok Sabha seat. They said the Election Commission (EC) of India should take cognisance and ensure that there is fair voting at every booth.

Later, the party claimed, the presiding officer at booth number 377 in Aliganj under the Farrukhabad Lok Sabha constituency did not allow SP workers to serve as agents or cast their vote, and asked for the EC to take notice. It then said that BJP workers were trying to start a fight with SP workers at booth number 338 in Aliganj. It added that BJP workers forced SP workers out of booth numbers 447, 448 and 449 in the Tirwa assembly constituency of the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency, from where SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is contesting, to be able to fake votes.

The party said that, at polling booth number 418 in Tirwa, BJP workers were trying to "sway the voters". 

The SP also alleged that Muslim workers of the party were not allowed to be agents by the presiding officer at booth numbers 153, 154 in Auraiya of Etawah. They added that presiding officers at booth numbers 221 and 222 in Mallawan of Misrikh Lok Sabha constituency were not allowing any agents.

At booth number 368 in Nanyura village of Katra assembly constituency of Shahjahanpur Lok Sabha constituency, the SP alleged, police stopped people from voting and abused them. 

They also tweeted that EVMs were malfunctioning at booth 48 in Mansoorganj under the Bahraich Lok Sabha constituency.

Among the 13 UP constituencies where polling is taking place on Monday, Kannauj will see a contest between the SP chief and sitting BJP MP Subrat Pathak. In Unnao, incumbent BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj (Swami Sachchidanand Hari Sakshi) is pitted against the SP's Annu Tandon (former Lok Sabha MP from Unnao). There are a total of 130 candidates in the poll fray in this phase. Of the 13 constituencies, the BJP has fielded 11 sitting MPs. The new candidates are Ramesh Awasthi from Kanpur and Anand Kumar from the Bahraich-SC seat.