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Scuffles, faulty EVMs keep Kannauj tense as SP chief reaches there on polling day
Akhilesh Yadav was was, however, held back in Forensic Science Laboratory in Talgram. He was allowed to go to Saifai from Kannauj after the polling came to an end
Allegations of fake voting, deliberate slowdown of the voting process and reports of malfunctioning electronic voting machines (EVMs) kept the atmosphere tense in Kannauj during polling for the fourth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls on Monday.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and BJP pick Subrat Pathak, also the sitting MP, are the main contenders there. Things came to such a pass that Akhilesh Yadav reached Kannauj at 2 pm. Leading from the front, he went on to inspect booths facing reactions from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers.
He, was, however, held back in Forensic Science Laboratory in Talgram. He was allowed to go to Saifai from Kannauj after the polling came to an end at 6 pm.
Meanwhile, BJP candidate Subrat Pathak sent 10 complaints of booth capturing to the poll panel. He also accused the Kannauj Police of giving in to the SP and Akhilesh Yadav.
However, the Kannauj police strongly refuted all the allegations on social media platform X. “I didn’t want to come but BJP people were roaming around everywhere, so I came. This is just the fourth phase and the discontent will increase. They insulted the Lodhi community and abused leaders of the Pal community,” said the SP president.
The SP president expressed concern over reports of alleged malpractice by BJP workers and urged the Election Commission to take action. Meanwhile, there were reports of a scuffle between BJP MLA Kailash Rajput and a policewoman in Kannauj’s Tirwa.
Later, a video of Pathak’s brother went viral in which he was purportedly seen threatening and abusing voters. Incidents of clashes between supporters of rival parties were also reported at various places. In Gur Sahayganj, two persons were injured in a clash between supporters of the SP and the BJP.
Meanwhile, BSP candidate Imran Bin Jafar accused BJP agents of obstructing Dalit voters from casting their votes, prompting police intervention.
In another incident, BJP MLA Kailash Rajput accused a police officer of bias towards the SP at a booth in Saurikh which was captured on video that went viral. Akhilesh Yadav later met the officer.
Additionally, a video of verbal abuse directed at the brother of BJP candidate Subrat Pathak surfaced, further escalating tensions. In Chhibramau, polling agents of SP and BJP clashed over allegations of fake voting, resulting in police intervention.
Uttar Pradesh minister of state Asim Arun targeted Yadav saying Kannauj didn’t need a representative who was missing on the election day. Same inaccessibility was with his wife when she was an MP, he alleged.
Responding to Asim Arun’s remarks, Yadav reiterated his commitment to the region and accused BJP of resorting to intimidation tactics.
Barring during his Lok Sabha poll debut from Kannauj in 2000, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav did not visit his Lok Sabha constituency on the polling day in his next two outings from there in 2004 and 2009 general elections. He had emerged victorious on both the occasions.
However, he reached Kannauj unexpectedly on the polling day this time on Monday amid intense electoral battle. There, he had a feel of the pulse of polling booths for around two hours.
During this time, he interacted with party workers, listened to their concerns about alleged malpractices. Responding to reports of BJP workers assaulting his party’s worker, he said, “BJP ke gundon, lo main aa gaya hoon” (Goons of BJP, here I am).” He even met the police personnel whom BJP MLA Kailash Rajput targeted and allegedly threatened.
