SP accuses cops of intimidating voters in UP's Milkipur bypolls; appeals to EC

The Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has accused Ayodhya police of intimidating voters during the Milkipur bypolls and made an appeal to the officials of the Election Commission (EC) to ensure fair play.

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav took to social media to claim that the Ayodhya police were checking the ID cards of voters, which he described as an attempt to create fear and indirectly influence the voters.

In a post on social media platform X, Akhilesh Yadav wrote, "The Election Commission should immediately take cognisance of the pictures related to this news that Ayodhya police is checking the ID cards of voters in Milkipur, in which senior police officers are also involved.

"This is a democratic crime of indirectly influencing voting by creating fear among voters. Such people should be removed immediately and punitive action should be taken."

This accusation came amid the ongoing bye-election in Milkipur, a crucial seat in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya district.

Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad further criticised the ruling BJP, saying, "The bye-election in Milkipur is happening today. The BJP is in such a situation that it will not be able to save its candidate's security deposit.

"Due to this fear and insecurity, Yogi Baba, the CM of Uttar Pradesh, has visited 9-10 times, but it has had no effect. Despite having 16 ministers and 46 MLAs for the last three months, it has made no difference."

SP leader Mata Prasad Pandey also spoke out, stating, "The administration in Milkipur is fully focussed on ensuring that the BJP wins the election. The government has resorted to tactics like scaring people by lifting women's burqa veils, as they realise they are losing the election."

He alleged that the administration was going to extreme lengths to intimidate voters, including the controversial act of trying to scare women voters by lifting their burqa veils, a tactic that, according to Mata Prasad Pandey, was intended to instil fear.

The Milkipur bye-election has become a political battleground, with both the ruling BJP and Opposition parties like the SP focussing on the significance of this seat.

The main contenders for the prestigious Assembly seat are Chandrabhanu Paswan of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Ajit Prasad of the Samajwadi Party (SP).

The stakes have been raised following the SP’s surprise victory in the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat last year, just months after the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The outcome of this bypoll will not only influence local politics but will also reflect the mood of the electorate in Uttar Pradesh, which is crucial for upcoming elections.

To ensure transparency and smooth conduct, robust security measures have been implemented. Webcasting will be conducted at 210 polling stations, while videography will be carried out at 25 stations.

In total, 71 polling stations have been equipped with micro observers, nine flying squad teams, nine static monitoring teams, six video monitoring teams, two super zonal magistrates, four zonal magistrates, and 41 sector magistrates to oversee the election process.