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Vote Switching, Intimidation And Booth Capturing: Voter’s Report In Uttar Pradesh

Elections Edited by Updated: May 13, 2024, 9:01 pm
Vote Switching, Intimidation And Booth Capturing: Voter’s Report In Uttar Pradesh

Vote Switching, Intimidation And Booth Capturing: Voter’s Report In Uttar Pradesh (image-screengrab/samajwadiparty)

As phase four of the Lok Sabha elections was underway, voters from different Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh are raising accusations of intimidation and vote-switching.

A woman voter in the Lakhimpur Kheri region of the state alleged that she voted for the Samajwadi Party and clicked on the party’s bicycle symbol, but the slip issued by the VVPAT showed the lotus symbol of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

She claimed that when she raised the complaint with the presiding officer, she was told to go outside and talk to someone else. “Meine cycle ko vote di, phool kyu chapa? (I voted for the cycle, why did it print the lotus symbol?)” the woman asked, claiming that there was some suspicious activity going on.

An hour later, another video emerged where the same woman voter, surrounded by police officers and officials from the local administration, claimed that there was no issue with the voting process and that she was satisfied.

Another voter from the Lakhimpur Kheri region claimed the same. “Jab hum daalne gaye, humne cycle par button dabayi, kamal ka phool ka nishaan nikal raha hai (when I went to vote, I clicked on the button next to the cycle, but the slip issued shows the lotus symbol),” the man claimed. He also alleged that 3–4 people behind him also experienced the same.

Lakhimpur Kheri’s District Election Officer (DEO), Mahendra Bahadur Singh, stated that during the investigation into the vote-switching claims, the officials failed to find any discrepancies. The official also said that action will be taken against the accused for spreading the rumour, as per UP Tak reports.

After reports of voters claiming vote switching at their poll stations, the Samajwadi Party (SP) accused the BJP supporters of intimidating voters belonging to the Shakya and Lodhi communities in certain booths in Farukhabad Lok Sabha constituency. One of the representatives of the party alleged that the supporters of the BJP standing in a nearby field forbade anyone from voting.

The party representative urged the Election Commission to visit the polling station so the voters could vote. If the EC doesn’t come, then the party requests a repolling in the area. In the video, the SP member can be seen surrounded by voters raising their voter ID cards who were allegedly prevented from voting by BJP supporters.

Meanwhile, the BJP alleged booth capturing by presiding officers, cops, and goons associated with the Samajwadi Party. The saffron party alleged that SP leader Akhilesh Yadav incited his supporters to commit voter fraud at a polling station, and when a BJP supporter protested, he was allegedly abused and beaten up.

Soon enough, an altercation occurred between workers from both parties in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh. In the video, BJP MP Subrat Pathak’s brother Chotu Pathak can be seen threatening and verbally abusing SP supporters before police officers interfered. SP workers can be heard in the background accusing the BJP supporters of booth-capturing.

Meanwhile, the official Twitter handle of the Lakhimpur Kheri District Magistrate said: “An allegation made by a person regarding Gandhi Smarak Inter College, Gola polling station 232 was investigated by the Sector Magistrate and SDM, Gola. The complaint was found to be false and baseless.
Voting is going on peacefully.”

 

Topics
2024 Lok Sabha Elections BJP EC Samajwadi Party SP Timeline News uttar pradesh

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