Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of misusing government machinery to win the urban local body polls in Uttar Pradesh.
“The BJP used all the means to win the civic polls in the state and misused the government machinery,” Mayawati said. “BSP [Bahujan Samaj Party] will not be silent but respond to this in time.”
On Saturday, the BJP won all 17 Mayoral seats, and was ahead in 197 out of the 544 seats of Nagar Panchayat polls. It also won 95 out of the 199 seats in the Nagar Palika Parishad polls, according to India Today.
The Bahujan Samajwadi Party won 41 seats in the Nagar Panchayat polls and 15 seats in the Nagar Palika Parishad polls. The elections were held across 75 districts of the state in two phases – on May 4 and May 11.
On Sunday, Mayawati thanked those who voted for her party, but claimed that results would have been different if the election were held in a “free and fair manner”.
“If elections were held through ballot paper, BSP would have definitely won the mayoral election as well,” she said.
She also alleged that both, the BJP and the Samajwadi Party were “equally adept” in winning elections through the misuse of power.
“This is why the ruling party often manages to secure more seats through manipulation, and this election was no different,” the former chief minister said. “It is a matter of great concern.”
On Saturday, workers of the Samajwadi Party in Mainpuri had also accused the ruling Adityanath government of rigging the elections.
“BJP is misusing power to make BJP candidates win in Mainpuri,” the Opposition party had claimed. “The police administration is doing hooliganism with the SP workers and leaders at the counting places by the police administration. The Election Commission should take cognisance of the matter.”
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had alleged that the counting of votes was being slowed in places where the BJP was trailing.
“Technical error is being used as an excuse when counting is more than total votes,” Yadav had alleged. “Arbitrary recounting is being done by putting pressure on the officers. BJP is winning by fraudulent vote counting, not by voting.”
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