The Election Commission (EC) has sought a detailed report from the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Uttar Pradesh on allegations of bias, made by the Samajwadi Party (SP), regarding posting of officials belonging to certain communities ahead of the Assembly bypolls in the State.
The SP, which is the chief Opposition in Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday made a complaint to the poll body alleging that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh was removing police and civil administration officials as well as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) belonging to the Muslim and Yadav communities from districts where Assembly bypolls are to be held later this year.
According to EC sources, the SP specifically alleged bias and politicisation in postings of BLOs in the Assembly constituencies of Kundarki in Moradabad district and Sisamau in Kanpur district.
Byelections are scheduled to be held in 10 Assembly seats in the State, where MLAs have resigned after being elected to the Lok Sabha in June.
Sources told The Hindu that the EC has sought a detailed report from CEO, including information on which BLOs were shifted after the Lok Sabha election, and the reasons behind their transfers.
Senior SP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ramgopal Yadav, addressing presspersons after meeting the EC on Wednesday, said, “The State government has removed most of the police and civil administration officials who belong to the Yadav and Muslim communities because these communities are known to be our supporters. Similar is the case with BLOs.”
Claiming that there was not a single Muslim or Yadav in the final list of BLOs, he said the SP delegation shared with the EC the entire list of officers assigned for the last Assembly and Lok Sabha elections along with the draft and final lists for the upcoming bypolls.
