The Election Commission on Wednesday suspended four police personnel in Uttar Pradesh for checking voters’ documents in violation of poll regulations and preventing them from casting their ballot.
Bye-elections are underway in nine Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.
The Samajwadi Party alleged that at several places, police personnel were checking voters’ identification documents. Only polling officers have the right to check the documents, the party said in a complaint to the Election Commission.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav posted a video on X showing police personnel questioning voters and urged the Election Commission to take action.
The Uttar Pradesh chief electoral officer said that the complaint was taken seriously and that two police personnel each had been suspended from the Mirapur and Sisamau Assembly constituencies. The local authorities were directed to ensure that only polling officials check voter identification documents, the chief electoral officer added.
Bye-elections are underway in Katehari, Karhal, Mirapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur and Kundarki in Uttar Pradesh.
The Samajwadi Party alleged that in the Sisamau seat in the Kanpur district and Mirapur in the Muzaffarnagar district, voters were being assaulted and prevented from exercising their franchise.
The party shared a second video, purportedly from the Katehari constituency in Ambedkar Nagar district, alleging that the police were threatening Muslim voters.
The Akhilesh Yadav-led party also alleged that in the Karhal constituency of the Mainpuri district, gunmen were intimidating voters and preventing them from casting ballots
It claimed that the BJP was trying to capture booths at five places in Karhal.
The Bharatiya Janata Party responded to the allegations by claiming that in at least three places, people were being given fake identity documents to enable them to vote.
The BJP also claimed that it was in fact Samajwadi Party leaders who were preventing voters from casting their ballots at three booths in Kundarki.