Check BSP's misuse of authority, poll panel urged

Senior Congress leaders urged Chief Election Commissioner Naveen Chawla to check and disallow 'misuse of official machinery' and 'silent booth capturing' by the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party in the forthcoming by-elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Senior Congress leaders on Tuesday urged Chief Election Commissioner Naveen Chawla to check and disallow "misuse of official machinery" and "silent booth capturing" by the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the forthcoming by-elections in Uttar Pradesh.

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A delegation of Congress leaders from Uttar Pradesh, led by former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and party general secretary Digvijay Singh called on Chawla earlier in the day in New Delhi. The delegation also included state Congress unit chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi, state legislature party chief Pramod Tiwari and general secretary Pervez Hashmi.

"The CEC was apprised of the blatant violation of election laws by the state government during the recently held bye-elections to four state assembly seats," Joshi said.

The memorandum handed over to the CEC sought stern measures to curb the state police's "undue influence" during the elections.

Drawing the attention of the CEC to the forthcoming by-elections to one Lok Sabha and 12 state assembly seats, the memorandum said the Mayawati government has recently affected large-scale transfers of police and key administrative officials solely with a view to influencing these elections, and demanded cancellation of all such transfers.

"BSP ministers and leaders have stayed on in assigned polling station areas even after the campaigning had stopped. They browbeat, threaten, bribe and use unfair means to ensure victory of their candidates on the polling day," the memorandum added.