On the eve of the crucial assembly by-elections in Uttar Pradesh, the opposition Samajwadi Party has attacked the BJP government and also asked the Election Commission that no policeman should check anyone’s ID.

” Not only this, women coming wearing burqa should not be examined by police,” the party has demanded. Polling in 9 assembly seats will be held tomorrow from 7 am to 6pm.

On Tuesday ,SP chief Akhilesh Yadav sent a letter to EC putting forward many demands. He has made serious allegations against the police-administration. He said that the administration can only create irregularities in the elections. I hope that the administration will work to protect the rights given by Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar to save the Constitution.

On the other hand, SP MP from Ambedkarnagar Lalji Verma has accused the administration of scaring the voters in the Katehri Assembly. The MP has returned his security. He also wrote to the Police Superintendent( SP) alleging that Muslim, Kurmi and Yadav voters are being intimidated by giving them red slips. This is fatal for a healthy democracy. He said,

In fact, SP has written a six-page letter asking the Election Commission that on the day of voting in UP, the police should not be allowed to check the ID cards of voters. It has alleged in this letter that the police is trying to influence SP supporting voters on the pretext of checking the I-card. SP wrote that during the Lok Sabha elections, on similar lines, the police had removed the niqabs of Muslim women voters in the name of identifying them.

Referring to the’ HAND BOOK FOR CANDIDATES’ of the Election Commission of India, it was written that the policemen deployed at the polling station will not check the voter’s ID (Voter Identity Card) on the day of voting. SP has demanded that after the polling is over, the EC should give complete details of EVM machine number, booth number, total voters, votes cast, remaining votes, challenge votes, tender votes to the polling agent of the booth in Form 17. The party also wrote that in nine assembly constituencies in the state, 100 per cent distribution of voter slips has not been done by BLOs, especially in the settlements dominated by SP supporters in the Muslim population. A large number of voters are not aware of their booth number and voter number. The elections are being affected by this.