BSP supremo Mayawati on Thursday appealed to people to exercise their universal franchise without any fear and elect a government which works for the downtrodden.

Voting for the first phase of the general election will begin on Friday across 21 states and Union territories.

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“The first phase of voting begins tomorrow in the seven-phase general election for the 18th Lok Sabha in the country. Voters should use their constitutional rights fearlessly to elect a government of the poor and deprived,” she said in a series of posts on ‘X’.

“The right to vote, without any discrimination, under the Constitution given to us by the respected Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, is a crucial democratic power through which the poor, weak and the neglected, can acquire the master key of power and become capable of liberating themselves to end their lives of poverty and helplessness,” she said.

“The right to vote has to be protected at all costs… be careful of elements scheming to buy your votes. No one should be left out of voting and your vote should not be misused in the name of money, power, temple-mosque etc. This is the biggest duty and tribute to Baba Saheb,” Mayawati added.

She said the Election Commission has assured the country of its preparedness to conduct this Lok Sabha election in a “free, fair, accessible, inclusive, transparent and peaceful manner”. “They should live up to their promise and prevent the misuse of government machinery and the code of conduct by the ruling party,” she said.