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UP assembly polls: EC seeks report on Samajwadi Party’s free power supply campaign
A lawyer of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on January 20 had made a complaint to the EC about the Samajwadi Party. The complaint came about three weeks before the UP assembly polls.
The Election Commission (EC) on Monday sought a report from district election officers across the state on the complaint that the Samajwadi Party (SP) allegedly violated the model code of conduct for the UP assembly polls by inviting voters to fill a form in order to avail of 300 units free electricity.
Yogesh Somvanshi, lawyer of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court, on January 20 had made a complaint to the EC in this regard.
In the complaint, he had stated that Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, ahead of the UP assembly polls, not only made this declaration verbally about 300 units free electricity, but also proceeded to direct his party workers to approach voters door- to- door and get the “Samajwadi Form” filled up for availing of the sop
Yogesh Somvanshi had also stated that no political party should be allowed to gratify voters in order to illegally influence them for voting for a political party.
On January 1, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had promised to provide 300 units of free electricity to households and free power to farmers for irrigation if elected to office in the UP assembly polls.
“It will be the number one promise on the Samajwadi Party manifesto,” the Samajwadi Party chief had said at a meeting at the party office in Lucknow.
“On coming to power, the SP government will give domestic consumers free electricity up to 300 units. Farmers will get free electricity to irrigate their fields. This will be our top promise,” the former UP chief minister had said.
“This will be the first promise in the Samajwadi Party manifesto. And everyone knows that what SP promises, it delivers,” he had said.
