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Election was rigged at every step: Akhilesh on Gola defeat
The SP workers and leaders were harassed in various ways, alleged the SP chief in a statement issued by his party
After his party’s defeat in the Gola Gokarannath bypoll, Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the election was rigged at every step and that his party workers and leaders were harassed in various ways.
“The BJP has defeated democracy in Gola Gokarannath assembly bypolls...by engaging in rigging at every step,” he said. “Why couldn’t the Election Commission succeed in keeping the polls transparent and unbiased?,” he added.
A statement issued by the SP hours after BJP candidate Aman Giri was declared elected, Akhilesh was quoted as saying: “By giving more than 90,000 votes to the SP candidate, the voters challenged the BJP. All the decorum of democracy was destroyed in the bypoll. The BJP had claimed victory in the bypoll even before the result was announced. The elections were rigged in BJP’s favour, votes were forcibly gathered for the BJP candidate.”
“At every step, the polls were rigged...The SP workers and leaders were harassed in various ways...the police intimidated the SP supporters by picking them up from their homes...the administration worked as the BJP cadre,” he alleged.
Akhilesh, who is the leader of opposition in the U.P. assembly, further alleged: “It was amply clear on the voting day itself that under the BJP rule it’s impossible to have a free and fair poll. The BJP does not allow voters to vote independently. On the day of polls, the police engaged in lathicharge, chasing polling agents away. The police especially harassed Muslims and SP supporters and even distributing cash among the voters.”
“All that the BJP lusts for is power and to attain it uses all unfair means. The conditions are dangerous for democracy,” he said. “Now the voters must be all the more alert to protect and save democracy in forthcoming polls,” Akhilesh said.
