SP leaders luring, threatening voters: BJP to UP poll chief

BJP today alleged that the Samajwadi Party ministers and Legislators in Uttar Pradesh are trying to influence the voters by "luring and threatening" and flouting the model code of conduct, as it knocked on the state Chief Electoral Officer's door demanding action.
"SP ministers and Legislators are trying to lure and threaten voters and openly flouting the model code of conduct. EC should take cognisance of it and initiate strict action against such leaders," BJP spokesman Chandra Mohan said.
BJP leaders JPS Rathore and Kuldeep Pati Tripathi today met the UP Chief Electoral Officer T Venkatesh here and apprised him about the situation and cited incidents where Samajwadi Party leaders flouted the model code of conduct.

They informed him about the truckload of saris, said to have been purchased in the name of Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, that were seized in Fathepur last evening.
During a routine check, police had stopped the mini-truck which was on its way to Kanpur from Amethi in Hussainganj area of Fatehpur and found it to be carrying around 4,500 saris.
When asked, the driver had furnished a receipt in the name of Prajapati.

The BJP leaders said that it was a clear example how the SP minister was trying to affect the polls by luring voters and "gifting them saris".

They also informed Venkatesh about the Sultanpur, SP MLA Santosh Pandey who violated the mode code of conduct by using social media for campaigning for Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
He not only "misused" social media but also took out a procession in the city, Chandra Mohan alleged.
Cases have been lodged against Pandey in incidents when he had arrived in Sultanpur and SP workers had taken out a procession in Lambua and Chanda Bazar without permission, and another one in which he violated the model code of conduct by campaigning on social media.
The BJP leaders requested the EC to check misuse of "official machinery" by SP leaders and take note of such incidents.