LUCKNOW: Seeking the Election Commission’s intervention into the alleged sending of Yadav police officers in poll-bound Gola Gokarannath assembly constituency on forced leave, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said the move has put a question mark over the claims of free and fair polls in the constituency.
He appealed to the voters of Gola Gokarannath to vote in favour of the SP candidate Vinay Tewari and said that his victory would be a befitting reply to the BJP’s attempt to influence elections.
Voting for the bypolls in Gola Gokarannath assembly constituency, necessitated after the death of BJP MLA Arvind Giri due to cardiac arrest last month, will be held on November 3. The BJP has fielded Arvind Giri’s son Aman Giri while the SP is being represented by former MLA Vinay Tiwari.
“Visheshkar Yadav police karmiyon ko chinhitkar jabran chhutti par bheja ja raha hai (Policemen, especially those from Yadav community are being identified and forced to proceed on leave),” alleged Akhilesh.
“How can free and fair elections be guaranteed in Gola Gokarannath, given the atmosphere that the BJP has created in the constituency. Almost 40 BJP ministers and senior leaders are roaming around in the constituency with their police gunners and government officials in tow who are actively participating in organizing public meetings and campaigning. If this is not a violation of the model code of conduct, then what is,” he asked, adding that the EC should initiate action to end the atmosphere of fear in Gola Gokarannath.
He said the party sent a detailed letter to the EC on October 27, 2022, stating how the BJP candidate Aman Giri’s election organizer Harwinder Sahani and MLA from Paliya were openly violating the election code of conduct by distributing cash and sweets in the name of Diwali gifts. “The EC must immediately get an FIR lodged against them and initiate action,” he said.
The former UP CM said he was still confident that the SP supporters would turn up in large numbers to vote in favour of the party candidate as the people had seen the work done by SP when it was in government. “We deliver on our promises and that is what makes us different from the BJP,” the SP chief said.
