ECI Seeks Report from UP Chief Electoral Officer after SP Levels Charge of Biased Posting of BLOs ahead of Bypolls

The Election Commission of India has sought a detailed report from the Uttar Pradesh chief electoral officer (CEO) after allegations of bias against the posting of officials belonging to certain communities surfaced ahead of bypolls in the state, News18 has learnt.

The report has been sought based on a complaint from the state’s main opposition party – Samajwadi Party. A delegation from the SP met the commission on Thursday and alleged bias and politicisation of postings of booth-level officers (BLOs) in Kundarki assembly constituency of Moradabad district and Sisamau seat in Kanpur district.

“Taking cognisance of the complaints from the Samajwadi Party, the EC has sought a detailed report from CEO, Uttar Pradesh, on allegations of bias against posting of officials belonging to certain communities ahead of by-elections,” sources said.

In its complaint, the Samajwadi Party alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh was removing police and civil administration officials from the Muslim and Yadav communities in the assembly seats where bypolls are due. The BLOs belonging to these communities were also being moved, the SP alleged.

The party also claimed that the appointment of BLOs was being done on the basis of caste and religion. It asked the poll body to ensure that all political parties and candidates get equal opportunities in the poll process.

Bypolls are scheduled for later this year in ten assembly seats where MLAs have either resigned or been convicted. Since the majority of the seats fell vacant in June, the ECI has a window of six months to hold the bypolls.

At least nine seats fell vacant as MLAs were elected as MPs in Lok Sabha polls while one MLA, from the Sishamau assembly seat, was convicted and given a seven-year jail sentence. The SP MLA, Irfan Solanki, was disqualified after he was sentenced to jail in a criminal case.

The list of MLAs who moved to the Lok Sabha includes SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and senior leader Awadhesh Prasad. Out of the ten seats, the SP had earlier won five – Karhal, Sisamau, Milkipur, Katehari, and Kundarki – while the BJP and Majhawan Nishad Party had the Ghaziabad, Phulpur, and Khair seats, and the Rashtriya Lok Dal had Mirapur.