New Delhi:

The Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Tej Pratap Yadav has taken an early lead in the Karhal assembly bypoll in Uttar Pradesh, where voting was held on November 20. The by-election in Karhal is a critical battle between SP and the BJP, with Tej Pratap Yadav, nephew of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, contesting against BJP’s Anujesh Pratap Singh.

Anujesh Pratap Singh, a former SP leader who joined the BJP in 2017, is married to Sandhya Yadav, sister of Dharmendra Yadav, Samajwadi Party MP from Azamgarh. Mr Singh, a relative of Akhilesh Yadav, is counting on capitalising on his switch to BJP, appealing to traditional Yadav voters and other sections of society.

Election Results Live | NDA Crosses Majority Mark In Maharashtra, Ahead In Jharkhand, Show Leads

Tej Pratap Yadav represents the SP’s stronghold in Karhal, a seat just four kilometres from Akhilesh Yadav’s native village of Saifai in Etawah district. This constituency forms part of his wife Dimple Yadav’s Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat and has remained an SP bastion since 1993, except for a brief BJP victory in 2002.

The bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of Akhilesh Yadav, the sitting MLA, following his election to the Lok Sabha from Kannauj.

Lucknow:

A 23-year-old Dalit woman’s body found in a sack in Uttar Pradesh’s Karhal constituency this morning has sparked a political storm after her family alleged that a local Samajwadi Party worker had been pressuring her against voting for BJP in the bypolls being held today.

Police said Prashant Yadav and Mohan Katheria have been arrested in a case registered on a complaint by the woman’s father. “The parents of the woman have said the accused killed her because she wanted to vote for the BJP,” Mainpuri district police chief Vinod Kumar said.

The victim’s father alleged that Prashant Yadav came to their home three days back and asked her which party she would vote for. She replied she would vote ‘lotus’ — BJP’s symbol — because her family got a home under the PM Awas Yojana. Yadav then threatened her and asked her to vote for ‘cycle’ — the Samajwadi Party’s election symbol, the woman’s father alleged.

The BJP has launched a scathing attack on the Samajwadi Party over the woman’s death.

“At Karhal in Mainpuri district, Samajwadi Party’s Prashant Yadav and his aides brutally murdered a Dalit daughter only because she refused to vote for ‘cycle’,” state BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary said in a post on X.

While senior Samajwadi Party leaders are yet to respond to the incident, the party’s Karhal candidate Tej Pratap Yadav said there must be a thorough probe and the guilty must face tough punishment. Without referring to the murder, the party’s handle on ‘X’ put up a post, alleging that police were intimidating voters in the name of patrolling.

The allegations surrounding the woman’s death come amid a massive blame game between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Samajwadi Party as nine Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh vote in today’s bypolls. These seats — Katehari, Karhal, Mirapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur and Kundarki — were vacated after the sitting MLAs were elected to Lok Sabha. In fact, it was Akhilesh Yadav who represented Karhal in the Assembly before being elected to Lok Sabha as Kannauj MP.

Since this morning, Mr Yadav has been accusing the state administration and police of blocking voters and urged people not to return without casting their vote. The BJP, on the other hand, has said the Samajwadi Party knows it is losing and its allegations reflect its frustration.

New Delhi:

The Election Commission (EC) has taken action against Uttar Pradesh police personnel accused of violating its guidelines during the ongoing bypolls. Acting on complaints, including allegations of voter obstruction, the EC ordered the suspension of several officers, including those deployed in the Sisamau assembly constituency of Kanpur.

The move follows directives from Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar to district election officers (DEOs) and superintendents of police (SPs) to ensure impartial and smooth voting. Officials were instructed to address all complaints and notify complainants via social media, tagging them in updates to maintain transparency.

ट्वीट का संज्ञान लिया गया है। संबंधित उपनिरीक्षकगण को निलंबित कर दिया गया है एवं सभी को चुनाव प्रक्रिया का पूर्ण पालन सुनिश्चित करने हेतु निर्देशित किया गया है। @Uppolice@DMKanpur

— POLICE COMMISSIONERATE KANPUR NAGAR (@kanpurnagarpol) November 20, 2024

The EC’s intervention came after Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav shared a video alleging voter harassment. Mr Yadav called for the suspension of officers checking voter cards and Aadhaar IDs unlawfully. Subsequently, Kanpur police confirmed the suspension of sub-inspectors implicated in the allegations and urged strict compliance with election procedures.

The Samajwadi Party alleged that certain communities were targeted and prevented from casting their votes. The BJP dismissed these claims, instead requesting that identity verification for burqa-clad voters be intensified. The BJP alleged “fake voting” in some assembly constituencies including Sisamau. 

“In fact, some men have worn burqa and tried to vote. On many occasions, they have been stopped by poll officials. if the identity of burqa-clad women is not checked, fake voting will take place. Only proper checking will ensure fair and transparent voting,” BJP’s Akhilesh Kumar Awasthi wrote in a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh.

Voting, which began at 7 am across nine assembly constituencies, including Katehari, Karhal, Mirapur, and Ghaziabad, saw a turnout of 20.51% by 11 am, according to EC data. Kundarki recorded the highest turnout at 28.54%, while Ghaziabad saw the lowest at 12.56%.

Lucknow:

As nine Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh voted in bypolls today, the BJP urged the Election Commission to properly check the identity of voters clad in burqa.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh, BJP’s Akhilesh Kumar Awasthi said there have past cases of veiled women trying to cast votes multiple times. “In fact, some men have worn burqa and tried to vote. On many occasions, they have been stopped by poll officials. if the identity of burqa-clad women is not checked, fake voting will take place. Only proper checking will ensure fair and transparent voting,” the BJP leader wrote in the letter.

He added that adequate number of women cops must be deployed at polling stations to ensure proper checking of burqa-clad women.

The Opposition Samajwadi Party, meanwhile, flagged cases of cops checking voter ID cards. Party chief and Lok Sabha MP Akhilesh Yadav shared a video of two cops asking for voters’ identity cards and sought the Election Commission’s intervention.

“If the Election Commission exists, it must come alive and ensure that cops do not check IDs, roads are not shut, IDs are not seized, voters are not threatened, pace of voting is not slowed down, time is not wasted and the administration does not become a representative of the ruling party,” he said.

Soon after, Kanpur police responded to the post, saying that the officers concerned have been suspended. State police comes under the control of the Election Commission during polls.  

Mr Yadav also said anyone who went home without voting after being stopped by cops must go back and cast his/her vote. “Now no irregularity will happen. If someone stops you, inform poll officials or political party members there. “Go fearlessly and make sure you vote.”

Nine Assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh — Katehari, Karhal, Mirapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur and Kundarki — are voting in the bypolls today. These seats were vacated after the sitting MLAs, including Akhilesh Yadav, were elected to Lok Sabha.

New Delhi:

Following requests from several political parties, the Election Commission of India has changed the polling date for by-elections in 14 Assembly constituencies across Kerala, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. The polling, which was earlier scheduled for November 13, will now be held on November 20. Votes will be counted on November 23.

Sources in the poll panel said multiple political parties had requested for a change in the polling date, citing festivals such as Kalpathi Rastholsavam (November 13-15), Kartik Purnima (November 15) and Prakash Parv of Sri Guru Nanak Dev (November 15). The parties had said these festivals may impact voter turnout in these states.

Nine Assembly constituents in Uttar Pradesh, four in Punjab and one in Kerala are voting in these bypolls. A total of 48 Assembly seats and 2 Parliamentary constituencies across 15 states will be voting in these by-elections that are being held alongside the Assembly polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

The poll panel said national and state parties have made representations for the change of polling date “considering large-scale social, cultural and religious engagements on that day which may cause inconvenience to large number of people, give rise to various logistic issues and may lead to reduced voter participation during the poll”.

In the past too, the Election Commission has changed polling dates when they coincided with festivals to ensure voters’ convenience and higher turnouts, a sources from the poll panel said. 

The Election Commission clarified that the date of counting of votes in these seats remains unchanged — November 23.

Kerala’s Palakkad and Punjab’s Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal, Gidderbaha and Barnala will vote in the upcoming bypolls. Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh where bypolls are due include Meerapur, Kundarki, Ghaziabad, Khair, Karhal, Sishamau, Phulpur, Katehari, Majhawan.

Most of these bypolls are being held after the sitting MLAs contested and won Lok Sabha election and must now vacate the Assembly seats they hold. Besides the Assembly seats, two vacant Lok Sabha seats — Nanded and Wayanad — will also vote in this round of bypolls. 

Lucknow:

INDIA bloc candidates will contest all nine seats in the upcoming bypolls on his party’s election symbol ‘cycle’, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav announced on Wednesday.

He said the alliance’s decision was not informed by any seat-sharing math but its pursuit of victory.

“Congress and Samajwadi Party are united and stand shoulder to shoulder for a big victory. India bloc is going to write a new chapter of victory in this by-election,” Mr Yadav said in a post on X.

“With this unprecedented cooperation and support, every worker of ‘INDIA bloc’ on all 9 assembly seats is filled with new energy with the resolve to win,” he added.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said that the coming election will be fought for the protection of the country’s Constitution, peace, and the honour of “Pichchde (backwards), Dalit and Alpsankhyak (Minorities).” Bypolls will be held on November 13 on nine seats– Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Karhal (Mainpuri), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Sishamau (Kanpur city), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj), and Kundarki (Moradabad).

Eight of these seats fell vacant after their MLAs were elected as MPs in the Lok Sabha, while a bypoll is being held on the Sisamau seat due to the disqualification of SP MLA Irfan Solanki, who was convicted in a criminal case.

The Congress had originally demanded five of 10 assembly seats (including Milkipur).

The SP, however, last week said the Congress had agreed to contest on two seats, Ghaziabad and Khair (Aligarh), leaving the rest to the SP.

The Election Commission has announced a by-election on nine seats, leaving out Milkipur (Ayodhya).

The last date for filing nominations is October 25.

The SP has already declared its candidates from Karhal, Sisamau, Phulpur, Milkipur, Katehari, Majahawan and Meerapur.

Counting of votes will take place on November 23.