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Lok Sabha elections 2019: Skirmishes mar polling in UP
In Sultanpur, union minister and BJP candidate Maneka Gandhi had a verbal duel with BSP candidate Chandra Bhadra Singh aka Sonu Singh over allegations of the latter pressurizing people to vote in his favour.
Minor face-offs, skirmishes and stone pelting in Azamgarh, Sultanpur, Phulpur and Allahabad constituencies marred the 6th phase polling on Sunday in Uttar Pradesh. The phases that preceded Sunday’s polling had been largely peaceful.
In Azamgarh, a group of locals reportedly hurled stones at SP Sadar MLA Durga Prasad Yadav’s vehicle, in Kishanpur village, when he was on way to a polling booth after receiving information that some dalits were allegedly not being allowed to vote. The MLA then went to a nearby village to avoid the wrath of the locals, and later informed police. SP (city) Kamlesh Bahadur reached the village with heavy police force and police escorted the MLA out of the village.
In Sultanpur, union minister and BJP candidate Maneka Gandhi had a verbal duel with BSP candidate Chandra Bhadra Singh aka Sonu Singh over allegations of the latter pressurizing people to vote in his favour.
A video of the confrontation went viral on social media in which Maneka is heard saying ‘Yahan dabangai nahi chalegi’ to Singh.
However, Singh dismissed her charges and also asked the BJP leader as to what wrong had he done. Cops later intervened and prevented the situation from escalating.
In Bhadoi, a presiding officer, who was deployed at booth number 359 in Laxmana Primary School alleged BJP MLA Deenanath Bhaskar slapped him. The MLA denied the charge. Police said presiding officer Radhe Shyam had alleged that Bhashkar, along with his supporters, reached the polling booth and asked him to “mend his ways” because he had received many complaints against him.
Radhe Shyam said when he asked about the type of complaints, the MLA lost his cool and slapped him.
District magistrate Rajendra Prasad, along with police force, reached the spot and deployed another presiding officer at the booth.
Police said Radhe Shyam later filed a complaint at Aurai police station against the MLA.
In Allahabad, Phulpur and Pratapgarh some incidents of violence and ruckus were reported from rural areas. Tension prevailed at Madaripur village under Phulpur constituency when polling agents of SP and BJP clashed.
An altercation started when SP workers alleged that BJP workers were pressuring voters to vote in favour of their party’s candidate. Soon, a large number of supporters of both parties assembled there and pelted stones at each other. Policemen on duty were roughed up when they intervened. Heavy police force rushed to the scene and chased away the people who were fighting.
People of Larvat village of Pratapgarh alleged that police thrashed and forced some of them to vote while they had decided to boycott the polls.
The villagers were demanding construction of a bridge on the river there since long and had boycotted the polls.
None of the 316 voters turned up at the polling booth till just before noon after which policemen and officials reached the village and thrashed some villagers and forced at least 20 of them to votes.
Meanwhile, SDM Lalganj Mohanlal Gupta denied the allegations of using force on the villagers. Some protestors who were trying to stop voters from going to the polling booth were removed from the way but police assaulted no one, the SDM added.
Minor clashes and altercations were also reported from Karchhana area of trans-Yamuna. Some polling agents at Mendara polling booths accused officials of favouring the candidate of a political party.
UP chief election officer, L Venketeswar Lu, meanwhile, said: “The polling was peaceful.”
