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Violence, clashes as UP elects local body chiefs
LUCKNOW: The violence-marred Uttar Pradesh local body chief elections concluded on Saturday with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claiming victoryin the polls that saw candidates being attacked while filing nominations, parties’ workers clashing across districts and the Opposition accusing the ruling party of using state machinery to corner political rivals
LUCKNOW: The violence-marred Uttar Pradesh local body chief elections concluded on Saturday with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claiming victoryin the polls that saw candidates being attacked while filing nominations, parties’ workers clashing across districts and the Opposition accusing the ruling party of using state machinery to corner political rivals.
The elections were held for 825 block panchayat chief posts, out of which the BJP and its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) looked set to win 635 posts, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said, citing official trends as of 6.30pm. A total of 349 candidates were elected unopposed on Friday, the last day for the withdrawal of nomination papers.
“….The BJP has found favour with the (rural) masses in a big way. The inclination of the people was towards the BJP,” Adityanath said at a press conference at the party office in Lucknow.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi credited the Adityanath government’s policies for the party’s performance in the elections.
“In block pramukh polls too, the BJP candidates have won. The win is a reflection of the fact that Yogi Adityanath government’s pro-people policies have helped the people. Congratulations to the cadre for this win,” Modi tweeted.
The BJP’s state unit chief, Swatantra Dev, said the results were a precursor to the upcoming state polls. “Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the BJP would sweep the 2022 UP assembly polls,” he said.
The Opposition, however, accused the state government of using the administration to gain an unfair advantage and carrying out attacks on the members of rival parties.
“The BJP doesn’t believe in democracy and the Constitution. With the cooperation of the government, the BJP got votes polled in its favour,” said Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in a statement issued late on Saturday.
“Block pramukh candidates and kshetra panchayat members were kidnapped in various districts and those who protested against rigging are being harassed. Despite having all the valid documents, many were forcibly deprived of voting,” he added.
“What kind of a farce this election was where the police and local administration were openly made to side with the ruling party. It was a blatant, shameful display by the ruling party whose cadres also attacked the police. We saw shocking images of women candidates from the Opposition being ill-treated by BJP goons. It would have been better had the BJP declared itself a winner without a contest,” Samajwadi Party MLC Udaiveer Singh said.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, in a tweet in Hindi, said that in Uttar Pradesh, “violence has been renamed masterstroke”.
The clashes that erupted on Thursday during the filing of papers for the polls continued on Saturday with incidents of stone-pelting and firing being reported from different districts, the police said.
“When a mob was asked to stop from coming near a polling booth [in Etawah district], it started stone-pelting and firing. We have all the CCTV footage. We will investigate once the election is over. A case will be filed soon,” Etawah senior superintendent of police Brajesh Kumar Singh said.
At places, police had to resort to baton-charge and fire tear gas shells to break the clashes between members of different parties and supporters of Independent candidates, officials said.
The UP Police arrested two people and suspended six personnel after a woman candidate was assaulted while filing nomination on Thursday.
“Cases have been registered under Section 147 (Punishment for rioting) and 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman) [among others] in connection with the incident of misbehaviour with a woman candidate during filing nomination,” the police said in a statement.
Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Bahujan Samajh Party (BSP) chief Mayawati alleged that the law and order situation had deteriorated under the BJP government.
“In the current reign of the BJP in UP, there is no rule of law, but a jungle raj is prevailing under which there has been widespread violence in the panchayat polls and indecent behaviour with a woman in Lakhimpur Kheri. This is highly condemnable,” she said.
The CM, however, praised the State Election Commission for the “peaceful and fair” polls, stating that “conducting such a massive election process peacefully was praiseworthy.”
(with agency inputs)
