SP terms BSP's victory in council polls as its moral defeat

Terming the ruling BSP's victory in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council polls as the party's "moral defeat", main opposition Samajwadi Party on Wednesday accused it of misusing resources at its disposal to influence polling and the Election Commission of bowing under government pressure.

Terming the ruling BSP's victory in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council polls as the party's "moral defeat", main opposition Samajwadi Party on Wednesday accused it of misusing resources at its disposal to influence polling and the Election Commission of bowing under government pressure.

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"We had all along been complaining about the attempts to blatantly misuse government machinery and the manner in which the officials acted as BSP agents to pressurise voters and the results have proved that our complaints were true," Samajwadi Party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary, whose party has suffered major, reverses in the polls, said here.

Claiming that the results had not come as a surprise to the party, Chaudhary alleged that working under government pressure, the Election Commission had also turned a blind eye to the malpractices of the party in power during the polls.

Charging the Chief Minister Mayawati with giving up all norms pursued in a democracy, the SP leader said free and fair polling was not possible under her and intellectuals would now have to mull over the ways and means for upholding the sanctity of the electoral system.