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Akhilesh Yadav accuses EC of deliberate delay in UP MLC poll vote count
Counting for 11 MLC seats - five graduates’ and six teachers’ constituencies - began on Tuesday morning across the state.
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Samajwadi Party national president and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday accused the Election Commission (EC) and the administration of deliberately delaying the vote count in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council (MLC) elections and demanded immediate transparency in the process.
Counting for 11 MLC seats - five graduates’ and six teachers’ constituencies - began on Tuesday morning across the state.
In a series of posts on X, Yadav said counting was being slowed down intentionally and that official round-wise results were not being shared with political parties or the media. “Chief Election Commissioner Shri Gyanesh Kumar should take immediate cognisance and make the results transparent,” he wrote.
“Do not make a mockery of democracy. SP workers and office-bearers are keeping a sharp watch on the counting. All workers will remain alert until the victory certificates are issued. If district magistrates or commissioners attempt any dishonesty, we will launch agitations against them and file cases.”
Earlier in the day, Yadav alleged that counting had been halted in the Agra Teachers’ MLC constituency even as the Samajwadi Party candidate was leading. Tagging the Election Commission of India and the Uttar Pradesh chief electoral officer, he urged the poll panel to ensure fair and impartial counting.
In another post accompanied by a video, the SP chief claimed that the BJP, the Election Commission and the administration had created a “three-tier curriculum of electoral fraud.”
The SP national president also raised the issue of “unfolded votes” found in ballot boxes at booth number 97 in the Lucknow Graduates’ constituency, where SP candidate Kanti Singh is contesting. Speaking to the media, he alleged that this pointed to a conspiracy to steal votes and claimed the BJP had been “caught red-handed.” He noted that voters are instructed to fold ballot papers before inserting them into the box, yet some votes were discovered unfolded.
‘Conspiracies being hatched to obstruct SP supporters’
Akhilesh Yadav also alleged the BJP was hatching conspiracies to obstruct the votes of Samajwadi Party supporters in new ways.
He alleged that in areas with a high concentration of Samajwadi Party supporters, only a single voting machine is provided, whereas areas with BJP supporters receive multiple machines to expedite the voting process. “Various conspiracies and schemes are being orchestrated to obstruct the votes of Samajwadi Party supporters,” he claimed at a press conference.
Taking an indirect dig at AIMIM, without naming anyone, Yadav said, “There are BJP’s ‘prepaid’ parties - entities whose ‘OTP’ (one-time password) originates elsewhere, and whose microphones and loudspeakers belong to other political outfits. They are controlled by a ‘string’ (external influence), once the string is cut, the game is over.
Yadav’s reaction follows AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi lambasting the Samajwadi Party at a rally in Kairana on October 25 where he asked Muslims to stop voting for SP and ask for their share instead.
