Mainpuri bypoll: voting in Mulayam's bastion as SP's Dimple Yadav claims BJP distributing cash, liquor

Voting in a Lok Sabha bypoll in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri began on the morning of 5 December. The election was necessitated by the death of Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.

A day earlier, Mulayam's daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav, who is the SP candidate, claimed that "hundreds of BJP leaders and workers" were distributing cash and liquor to voters at Hotel Palm on Station Road in Mainpuri.

Voting also began at 7 am in Rampur Sadar and Khatauli assembly constituencies of UP. In these three seats, 24.43 lakh people -- 13.14 lakh men, 11.29 lakh women and 132 third gender voters -- are eligible to exercise their franchise.

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The bypolls in Rampur Sadar and Khatauli were necessitated after SP MLA Azam Khan and BJP MLA Vikram Singh Saini were disqualified following their conviction in separate cases.

The bypolls are a direct battle between SP-RLD alliance and BJP, with Congress and BSP not contesting.

(With PTI inputs)