UP Polls | EC Takes Suo Motu Cognizance Of Model Code Of Conduct Violation By Akhilesh Yadav

This comes as Akhilesh Yadav earlier in the day interacted with the media personnel while casting his vote for the Jaswant Nagar seat from where the party has fielded Shivpal Yadav.

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav | File Image

New Delhi: The Election Commission has taken Suo Motu cognizance of violation of the Model Code of Conduct by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

This comes as Akhilesh Yadav, earlier in the day, interacted with the media personnel while casting his vote for the Jaswant Nagar seat from where the party has fielded Shivpal Yadav.

Akhilesh Yadav, who is also the Samajwadi Party’s chief ministerial candidate, spoke to the media personnel both before and after casting his vote.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, who cast his vote along with his wife Dimple Yadav, lambasted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state while speaking with the media personnel outside the polling booth.

As per the information available in the complaint, Akhilesh spoke to the media in the Abhinav Vidyalaya school located in Saifai.

SP chief breached the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) laid down by the EC, which restricts political figures from influencing other voters during the process and he also flouted the COVID-19 protocols that prohibit gatherings, the complaint states.

Etawah- complaint has been lodged against Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav for interacting with the media inside the polling booth and violating the model code of conduct. pic.twitter.com/RuVJrGnsaF

— Vikas Bhadauria (@vikasbha) February 20, 2022

The Samajwadi Party chief, who is contesting the assembly elections for the first time from the Karhal constituency, took potshots at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government over the deteriorating law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier this evening, polling in 59 assembly constituencies spread over 16 districts, including Hathras, Kanshiram Nagar (Kasganj), Etah, Mainpuri, Firozabad, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Etawah, Auraiya, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur, for the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections ended.

During the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP bagged 49 out of the 59 seats, while the Samajwadi Party won eight and the Congress and former chief minister Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) got one seat each.

Voting for the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly is being held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7.

The counting of votes will be held on March 10.