Akhilesh Yadav Alleges Booth-Level Manipulation - Cites Kundarki
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has raised allegations of booth-level manipulation during the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh by-elections. Referring specifically to the Kundarki assembly seat, Yadav claimed, “Our candidate reported that SP booth agents were removed, and voters were obstructed from casting their ballots.”
He added that the police administration’s actions appeared aimed at ensuring no SP agents remained at polling stations, questioning who cast votes in booths where SP voters were allegedly stopped.
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“On the day of the election, a lot of videos were being received continuously, which we were informing you about and through social media, the Election Commission and the concerned officials were being informed about. I saw the video of our Samajwadi Party candidate from Kundarki, when he went out to cast his vote, he got the information that his booth agents were removed, the way the police administration behaved, their intention was that no Samajwadi Party agent should remain at the booth. On a large scale, wherever Samajwadi Party people wanted to go to cast their votes, they were stopped on the way, if we assume that the voters were stopped, then who have cast their votes if Samajwadi Party voters have not reached those booths?…,” he said.
Meanwhile, the BJP achieved a significant victory in Kundarki, a Muslim-majority constituency, with Ramveer Thakur defeating 11 Muslim candidates, including SP’s Haji Rizwan, by an overwhelming margin of 1,44,791 votes.
This landslide win in a constituency where Muslims make up 65% of the electorate marked a major political upset.
Results from all nine contested seats were announced on 23 November, with the BJP winning six, while the SP secured two and RLD one. Key victories for the BJP included seats like Kundarki, Phulpur, and Majhawan, while the SP retained constituencies such as Sisamau and Karhal.
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The by-elections were viewed as a critical face-off between the BJP and SP, setting the stage for the 2027 assembly elections. For the BJP, the polls were an opportunity to recover after setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections, while the SP aimed to capitalise on its strong performance in the same.
The Election Commission, however, has yet to address Yadav’s allegations regarding voter suppression and booth irregularities.
