NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh Samajwadi Party chief Shyam Lal Pal on Tuesday wrote a letter to the state’s chief electoral officer accusing the police of misusing their authority during the Lok Sabha elections by forcing Muslim women voters to remove their veils. He said that this caused many women to leave polling stations without casting their votes. He argued that voter verification is the sole responsibility of polling officers, not police personnel.
Pal further claimed that in constituencies with upcoming by-polls, Booth Level Officers had failed to distribute voter slips in areas with significant Muslim populations, leaving many unaware of their polling details. "Many of them left the polling stations without casting their votes. A significant number of SP supporters returned without exercising their voting rights, which affected the election and led to a decline in voter turnout at polling stations," the SP leader said.
"A large number of voters are unaware of their booth numbers and voter serial numbers, which is impacting the election. The 100% distribution of voter slips must be ensured so that voters are not deprived of their right to vote," he added. Following Pal's allegations Congress and BJP traded barbs with the grand old party backing SP's claims, while the BJP has said that is a "legal right" of polling officials.
Congress backs SP Backing Pal's letter, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari accused authorities of trying to scare minority voters, saying, “Samajwadi Party .
