Samajwadi Party candidate Gulshan Yadav on Sunday alleged that his vehicle was attacked and its glass broken by supporters of Raghuraj Pratap Singh, the Jansatta Dal candidate and sitting MLA from the Kunda constituency of Pratapgarh. The constituency went to the polls on Sunday as part of the fifth phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.
“It was an attempt to terrorise us. Gunshots were fired and my supporters were injured,” he told reporters. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav tweeted: “You can’t break morale by damaging glass. Gulshan will blossom in Kunda.”
SP president Naresh Uttam Patel lodged a formal complaint with the Election Commission in Lucknow. He said it was an attempt to stop SP voters from casting their vote freely. Additional Superintendent of Police Rohit Mishra said the SP candidate’s vehicle was damaged in an incident of stone-throwing in Paharpur village of Kunda. “We have received the complaint and an FIR is being lodged. The incident had no impact on the polling process,” Mr. Mishra said.
With the completion of the fifth phase of polling, Uttar Pradesh has now voted for 292 of the total 403 seats.
The last two phases will be held on March 3 and 7 and the results will be declared on March 10. The election campaign has now shifted to the eastern parts of the State.
Addressing a rally in support of Swami Prasad Maurya in the Fazilpur constituency of Kushinagar district, Mr. Akhilesh Yadav said Mr. Swami Prasad Maurya’s entry into the party had melted the BJP.
“Had he joined us after leaving the Bahujan Samaj Party, we didn’t have to sit out of power for five years,” Mr. Yadav said. “Still, he has come at the right time to protect the interests of Backward Classes, Dalits and minorities. The day he joined us, the wind changed in our favour.”
