As the bypoll date for the Milkipur Assembly seat approaches, political tension is rising in the state. The Samajwadi Party (SP) has expressed concerns about possible irregularities in the election. The party has written a letter to Chief Election Officer Navdeep Rinwa, accusing officials of bias.
Demand to Remove Returning Officer
The SP has alleged that the Returning Officer (RO) appointed Sanjay Shukla, a former district president of the BJP, as the presiding officer. The party demanded the immediate removal of the RO and action against officers accused of intimidating SP voters.
SP claims that Station Officers Devendra Pandey, Amarjeet Singh, and Sandeep Singh are harassing their party members and supporters. They urged disciplinary action against these officials.
Key Demands by SP
- Ensure that voters are not stopped from casting their votes.
- Provide voter slips to all eligible voters.
- Keep polling agents present throughout the voting process.
- Prevent security personnel from checking voter IDs at polling booths.
Previous Incident Highlighted
SP mentioned incidents from the last election where police allegedly forced Muslim women to remove their burqas under the pretext of identification, creating fear among voters. The party demanded that such incidents should not happen again.
Call for Webcasting
The SP requested webcasting of all 414 polling stations and urged the Election Commission to share the live streaming links with the public.
Election Schedule
Voting for the Milkipur bypoll is scheduled for February 5, 2025, and results will be announced on February 8, 2025. The contest is mainly between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party, both making this election a matter of prestige.
