'Police not letting people vote': SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Mainpuri, Rampur bypolls in UP

Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Monday alleged that the police and administration are preventing people from casting votes in Mainpuri and Rampur constituencies in the by-polls in Uttar Pradesh.

Voting began on Monday for the Rampur and Khatauli Assembly constituencies and the Mainpuri parliamentary seat in UP.

The by-election to the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat is taking place due to the death of Samajwadi Party (SP) founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.

"What briefing has been done to the police force? They have been asked to prevent people from voting in Mainpuri. In Rampur also the administration prevented people from casting votes. All the tactics are being adopted so that people did not come out," Yadav told reporters in Mainpuri.

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Akhilesh further added that the Election Commission is ignoring such complaints and has turned "a blind eye."

"BJP has been given full freedom. They are distributing liquor and adopting other tactics against the SP," Akhilesh said.

About the Mainpuri seat, Yadav said, "all the development you see here (in Mainpuri) is being done by 'Netaji' (Mulayam). People are remembering him and voting in our favour. The (victory) margin here is good," he said.

Yadav also alleged that District Magistrate Mainpuri is not responding to the calls "How can an officer do this when a bypoll is going on," he said.

In Mainpuri, Mulayam Singh Yadav's elder daughter-in-law and SP president Akhilesh's wife Dimple Yadav is pitted against BJP's Raghuraj Singh Shakya.

In Uttar Pradesh, a direct contest between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance is on the cards in bypolls to the Rampur Sadar and Khatauli assembly seats and the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency.

The BSP and Congress are not contesting the bypolls. The counting of votes will be held on December 8.