Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 17 : Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being behind large-scale electoral manipulation, saying that those who orchestrate electoral fraud, the ruling party would not even acknowledge such involved individuals, let alone protect them.
In a post on X, the SP leader said, "Those who orchestrate electoral fraud, the BJP people, will not even acknowledge such involved individuals once their purpose is served, let alone protect them. When the BJP plays chess-like moves against its own people sitting in high positions within the party, what chance do others have?"
The SP chief issued a strong warning to government officials and election workers, saying that anyone involved in tampering with the voter list would face strict legal and disciplinary action.
"Any official, no matter how senior, or an election worker at the booth level involved in tampering with the voter list, should take note that if their dishonesty is caught, an FIR will be filed against them, along with suspension and punitive action. They will be declared guilty of betraying the nation in their department, family, and society, and will also be forced to live a humiliating life after receiving punishment," Yadav wrote.
He urged election workers not to collude in electoral irregularities, saying, "Election workers should remember before participating in or colluding with the BJP's crimes that 'the BJP is nobody's ally. If the BJP goes, a truthful government will come!"
Earlier in the day, Akhilesh Yadav called on the Election Commission of India (ECI) to make the right decision and "walk the path of truth."
Calling attention to the poll body being under "undesirable pressures," the SP leader said that the support of crores of voters will be their "protective shield," with one "corrective step" ensuring the welfare of the people.
"The Election Commission needs not just reform but an inevitable fundamental transformation. Today, the historic responsibility of saving democracy rests on their shoulders. It is understood that they are under various kinds of undesirable pressures, but they should not think they are alone," Akhilesh Yadav posted on X in hindi.
Yadav's remarks are made amid the charges of voter list manipulation levied against the ECI, and the opposition against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in poll-bound Bihar. The opposition parties have alleged that the poll body is colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party to steal people's rights away, with Congress's Rahul Gandhi submitting "proof" of voter list manipulation in a recent press conference. In response, the Election Commission has asked the Congress leader to submit a signed affidavit under oath and submit his evidence for investigation.
Akhilesh Yadav also underlined that the ECI needs not only reforms, but also an "inevitable fundamental transformation."