During the by-election voting for nine assembly seats in UP, controversy erupted over veils and identity cards. The opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) has accused the police administration of preventing its voters from casting their votes under pressure from the ruling party. In response to SP's complaints, the Election Commission has suspended over half a dozen police officers across Kanpur, Moradabad, and Muzaffarnagar. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also lodged a complaint regarding voting without verifying the identity of veiled women. Kanpur's Sisamau has become the epicenter of this prestige battle for both SP and BJP.
SP complained about police personnel checking voter ID cards in Sisamau Assembly despite the directives from the Election Commission. A video surfaced showing officers inspecting identity cards and sending voters away, allegedly from Sisamau. Following the release of this video, Sub-Inspectors Arun Kumar Singh and Rakesh Kumar Nadar were immediately suspended.
Election Commission Warns Officials
The Election Commission has issued strict guidelines to the Chief Electoral Officer of UP, all district election officers, and returning officers to ensure a fair voting process. Officials are directed to address complaints promptly and inform complainants through social media tags. No eligible voter should be prevented from voting. Partiality during the voting process will not be tolerated, and substantial action will follow upon determining fault.
Who Can Verify a Voter's Face or ID
The Election Commission has definitively instructed that no police personnel can check the IDs of individuals at polling stations. Police are not authorized to verify any voter's identity. According to Election Commission guidelines, only the polling booth staff and candidate agents have this authority. At polling centers, police maintain law and order while polling personnel match voter IDs with the photos at the booth.
BJP Candidate's Allegations
BJP candidate Suresh Awasthi from the high-stakes Sisamau seat alleged misconduct with his poll agent at a polling station. He claimed a stone-throwing incident on his vehicle and blamed SP for the disturbances. At the Dayanand Hansmukhi Devi Balika Inter College polling booth, there were reports of BJP councilors and workers allegedly creating chaos accusing SP supporters of obstructing voters.
Here's What Akhilesh Yadav Said
SP leader Akhilesh Yadav accused the police administration of preventing his party voters from voting in a press conference. He laid sharp criticism against CM Yogi Adityanath and BJP, claiming their authority is waning, accusing them of denying SP voters the right to vote. He warned police officials, claiming his team has gathered all video and photo evidence.
Akhilesh Yadav also listed the names of certain officers and stated the election would result in SP's favor, warning of legal repercussions for erring officials, disrepute, potential loss of job, pension, and respect. He is determined to take action against officers who withheld voter IDs in Meerut, emphatically stating that BJP aims to win the by-election through deception rather than votes.
Akhilesh emphasized that police are restricted from checking voter IDs, as per Election Commission instructions, and expressed trust that the commission will act against dishonest officials.
