Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday announced her party will not contest any byelections in the country till the Election Commission takes strict steps to prevent the casting of fake votes.
The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister was referring to the reports of the casting of fake votes during the recently held byelections to nine assembly seats in the state.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had accused the Samajwadi Party of facilitating bogus voting by burqa-clad women in Kundarki, Sisamau, and Meerapur constituencies. The party alleged that outsiders were being housed in mosques, madrassas, and lodges in the Kundarki area and provided with fake identity cards to vote.
"A common discussion has been taken over the votes cast in the by-elections held on 9 assembly seats in UP and the results that came out yesterday. Our party has decided that until the Election Commission of the country takes strict steps to prevent the casting of fake votes in the country, our party will not contest any by-elections in the country," she said during a press conference.
"Earlier in the country, fake ballot papers were used to win elections by misusing power and now this is being done through EVMs as well, which is a matter of great sorrow and concern for democracy," she said.
The BSP chief alleged that the practice of fraudulent voting "is being done quite openly in the country, especially in the by-elections, along with the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections."
"We got to see a lot of this in the recent by-elections in UP and this time in the general elections for the assembly in Maharashtra, many voices are being raised about this. This is also a big alarm bell for democracy in our country....," she said.