The Samajwadi Party has lodged a formal complaint with the Election Commission, accusing authorities of preventing Muslim voters from participating in the bye-elections for the Ghosi Assembly constituency. The party alleges that voters are being wrongly informed that their ballots have already been cast when they arrive at polling booth number 137, leading to concerns about voter suppression.
Arvind Kumar Singh, a national executive member of the Samajwadi Party, made the allegations, stating that Muslim voters are encountering obstacles in exercising their democratic rights. He also claimed that police and polling officers resorted to abusive language when Muslim voters raised objections to the situation. Furthermore, Singh accused the head of Daulatpoor village and the booth agent of number 419 of being coerced into ensuring residents vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In light of these allegations, the Samajwadi Party leader has called upon the Election Commission to take immediate and stringent actions to rectify the situation and ensure a free and fair election process.
The bye-elections in seven Assembly constituencies across six states began at 7 am on Tuesday. Ghosi constituency in Uttar Pradesh is one of the contested areas, where Dara Singh Chauhan, who had previously won the seat in 2022 on a Samajwadi Party ticket but is now contesting on a BJP ticket, resigned.
Ghosi constituency has a substantial Muslim population, with nearly 4.38 lakh voters, including around 90,000 Muslims. Ahead of the elections, Muslim residents reported alleged pressure from local police officers to vote for the BJP. Some residents also claimed that police officials were threatening to prevent Muslim voters from casting their ballots by citing discrepancies between identification documents and voter lists.
In response to these allegations, Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav, along with 10 legislators, met with Inspector General of Police Akhilesh Kumar on Monday. During the meeting, they demanded action against police officials accused of intimidating voters. Yadav specifically accused officers in Ghosi and Kopaganj of harassing and threatening voters.
The allegations of voter suppression in Ghosi have raised concerns about the integrity of the bye-elections and the importance of ensuring that all eligible voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots freely and without intimidation. The Election Commission’s response to the Samajwadi Party’s complaint will be closely watched as the election process continues in the Ghosi constituency and other contested areas.
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