SP giving money to Muslim, Dalit voters in Ghosi: BJP to poll panel

The bypoll to Ghosi seat was necessitated after the SP’s OBC lawmaker Dara Singh Chauhan switched loyalties to contest afresh as a BJP candidate from the constituency.

A Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation on Sunday met officials of the Election Commission (EC) to complain about the alleged strongarm tactics of the main opposition party in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party (SP), ahead of the September 5 Ghosi bypoll.

However, Pathak referred to the reported statement of SP candidate Sudhakar Singh of accusing the local police and threatening local cops as proof of the bullying tactics employed by the SP. The BJP leader also mentioned about an FIR registered by a cop at Kopaganj police station in this regard. (File)

The bypoll was necessitated after the SP’s OBC lawmaker Dara Singh Chauhan switched loyalties to contest afresh as a BJP candidate from the seat.

The BJP delegation, led by party general secretary Ram Pratap Singh, called on EC officials soon after the election campaigning in Ghosi ended Sunday. While the BJP has opted for Dara Singh, the SP has gone for loyalist Sudhakar Singh, an upper caste candidate. While Dara faces the ‘outsider’ tag (as he hails from Azamgarh), the SP candidate is accused of having a dubious reputation.

The BJP delegation meeting the poll body officials came soon after deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak accused the Samajwadi Party of engaging in unethical practices to influence the poll outcome. Pathak campaigned extensively in Ghosi and camped there for days.

However, Pathak referred to the reported statement of SP candidate Sudhakar Singh of accusing the local police and threatening local cops as proof of the bullying tactics employed by the SP. The BJP leader also mentioned about an FIR registered by a cop at Kopaganj police station in this regard.

Later, UP BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary in a written complaint to the election commission claimed that SP candidate was distributing money in Muslim- and Dalit-dominated villages.

“SP’s sector and booth-level lists have a mention of that as well. The sector list also carries signatures of SP’s Mau district chief as well as general secretary and in this list the amount of money given is mentioned against the name of each booth president,” Chaudhary said in his complaint.

“In villages like Maqdoompur, Gharauli, Baniapar... money is being distributed at booth level. People from outside are also entering villages to threaten voters to vote for SP and this could vitiate the atmosphere in Ghosi,” UP BJP chief said in his complaint.

The UP BJP chief has sought the commission’s intervention in checking such ‘unethical practices.’

FIR against SP candidate’s son for threatening cop

VARANASI : The son of the Samajwadi Party’s (SP’s) candidate for the Ghosi bypoll Sudhakar Singh has been booked in a police case for allegedly threatening a police constable in Kopaganj area of Mau district, police said. An FIR has been registered against against Sujeet Singh. According to police, the constable alleged that Singh threatened him over a phone call.