UP by-polls: SP says cops deterring voters, BJP wants identity check on burqa-clad women

The Samajwadi Party on Wednesday, 20 November, accused police personnel of deterring dome people from casting votes in Uttar Pradesh, where by-polls are underway. Meanwhile, the BJP has alleged that the faces of some burqa-clad women voters are not matching their IDs.

Both the SP and the BJP called for the Election Commission (EC) to intervene.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav urged the Supreme Court and the EC to take immediate cognisance of alleged voter suppression based on video evidence, take punitive action and ensure fair elections. The party had requested the EC earlier to issue instructions that on polling day, police officers are not allowed to check the ID of voters, only polling officers are permitted to do so.

In a post on X, Yadav said, 'All police officers who are checking voter cards and Aadhaar IDs should be immediately suspended on the basis of video evidence. Police have no right to check Aadhaar ID cards or identity cards,' Yadav said.

He shared a video of party candidate Sumbul Rana from Meerapur in Muzaffarnagar district, accusing police personnel of trying to deter people from voting.

"We are going from village to village, people are being harassed and are not being allowed to vote. Police officers are troubling people, telling them that they cannot vote. They are asking for one ID, and then asking for another ID. They are checking all IDs, but still, people are not being allowed to cast their votes," she told reporters.

Rana claimed that such complaints were coming from Nayagaon, Nagla Buzuk, Sambalheda, and other areas in the constituency. "We are raising complaints but officers are not checking it," she alleged.

Countering the opposition party's claims, BJP spokesperson Manish Shukla said the Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav are scared of losing in the ongoing by-polls in Uttar Pradesh.

"The Samajwadi Party has lost trust in the voters. That is why they have gathered external disruptive elements in the bypoll areas. According to several media reports, the faces of women wearing burqas are not matching with their identity cards," Shukla said.

"The BJP appeals to the EC and the administration to ensure that voting is not allowed without matching the identity cards and that the EC's instructions are strictly followed," he added.

On social media platform X, SP's media cell also highlighted alleged poll code violations at some locations, including the Kundarki seat in Moradabad. It said that the party's agents were not being allowed near the polling stations.

Moradabad DM Anuj Singh said there were reports from a party alleging "bogus voting" in Bikanpur and claims that the administration has not allowed their agents.

"We got these claims verified, I myself spoke to the polling officer in Bikanpur and found that voting is underway smoothly and no voter is facing any problem. There is adequate security presence also," Singh added.

In Kanpur, SP candidate Naseem Solanki alleged her party voters were complaining of foul play by the administration, and alleging "biased behaviour" by the administration.

Voting for by-polls in nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh picked up pace after a sluggish start, with over 20 per cent voters turning up to exercise their franchise by 11 am on 20 November, Wednesday.

Voting started at 7 am in Katehari, Karhal, Mirapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur and Kundarki seats and will end at 5 pm.

According to the Election Commission's update at 11 am, the average voting across the seats stood at 20.51 per cent.

An EC update at 11 am showed the following voter turnout: Ghaziabad (12.56 per cent), Katehari (24.28 per cent), Khair (19.18 per cent), Kundarki (28.54 per cent), Karhal (20.71 per cent), Majhawan (20.41 per cent), Meerapur (26.18 per cent), Phulpur (17.68 per cent), Sisamau (15.91 per cent).

Elderly, young and people with physical disabilities were seen at polling stations since morning.

"Apne dil ke hisaab se vote kiya hai (I've voted as per my wish)," a burqa-clad woman told reporters outside a polling booth in Karhal.

Another woman accompanying her said, "Karobar sahi se chale. Kaam-dhandhe nahi chal rahe, mehngai hai, naukri nahi hai jis wajah se pareshani hai. (Business is not running fine, there is inflation and unemployment because of which there are problems)."

Standing in queue at a poll station in Phulpur, a middle-aged man, said he had issues of "development" on his mind, while another asserted "law and order" was a key issue in the state.

Eight seats fell vacant following the incumbent MLAs' election to the Lok Sabha.

Polling in Sisamau is being conducted due to Samajwadi Party lawmaker Irfan Solanki's disqualification from the assembly after his conviction in a criminal case.

This is the first electoral contest in the state after the Lok Sabha polls. The Congress is not contesting these by-polls and has lent support to the Samajwadi Party, its INDIA bloc ally. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is contesting on all nine seats solo.

According to the office of the chief electoral officer (CEO), more than 34.35 lakh voters — of whom 15.88 lakh are women — are eligible to exercise their franchise.

Ninety candidates are in the fray for the by-polls. Ghaziabad has the most candidates in the fray, at 14, followed by Khair and Sisamau with 5 each.

Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has fielded candidates from Ghaziabad, Kundarki and Mirapur, while the Chandrashekhar Azad-led Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) is contesting from all seats except Sisamau.

The results of the by-polls, however, will not have any impact on the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly.

At present, the BJP has 251 members in the House, followed by the Samajwadi Party's 105.

BJP allies Apna Dal (Sonelal) has 13 MLAs, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) 8, the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) 6 and the NISHAD party 5.

The Congress and the Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) have two MLAs each and the BSP has one.

In the 2022 assembly polls, the Samajwadi Party won from Sisamau, Katehari, Karhal and Kundarki while the Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan and Khair seats were bagged by the BJP.

The Mirapur seat was won by the RLD, then an ally of the Samajwadi Party. It has since become a member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).