After his party candidate lost the bye-polls in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur Assembly constituency on Thursday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has demanded that the Election Commission should conduct a re-polling, NDTV reported.
During the polling on Monday, the party had alleged that the police and administration were allowing its supporters to vote. A low voter turnout of 33% was recorded in Rampur.
The results declared on Thursday showed that Samajwadi Party candidate Mohammed Asim Raja, who was backed by convicted party MLA Azam Khan, had lost to Akash Saxena from the Bharatiaya Janata Party. The BJP has won the seat for the first time.
Rampur has been a stronghold of Khan, whose conviction in a 2019 hate speech case necessitated the bye-elections. He was disqualified as an MLA after the conviction.
On Friday, Yadav told NDTV in an interview that despite repeated complaints, the Election Commission did not take action against the Rampur administration.
“Who should we put our faith on, if the Election Commission is not going to look into all this?” he told the news channel. “The administration insulted out supporters. Some were even manhandled and prevented from voting.”
The Uttar Pradesh government and the Rampur district administration have denied the allegations saying the by-elections were free and fair.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!