New Delhi: BJP on Tuesday urged the Election
Commission to postpone assembly elections in Uttarakhand in
view of heavy snowfall in many parts of the hill state and
also sought removal of certain officials from key positions in
Uttar Pradesh said to be close to ruling BSP.
The demands were made by a party delegation led by BJP
vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi when it met Chief Election
Commissioner SY Quraishi.
Naqvi said there has been heavy snowfall in many parts of
Uttarakhand due to which voters may face problems and that
even leaders of parties were unable to go there for
campaigning in view of the weather conditions.
"We have asked the EC to extend the date for assembly
polls to help provide relief to voters," Naqvi told reporters
after the meeting. Uttarakhand is slated to go to polls on
January 30.
The BJP delegation while complaining against the Bahujan
Samaj Party(BSP) in UP asked the EC not to allow deployment of
certain officials already removed by it from key positions in
the state.
"We have also complained to EC for removal of certain
'history-sheeter' officials from key positions in the state.
Such officials are acting on behalf of BSP and have already
been removed by EC from top positions. Their continuation in
such key positions will not ensure free and fair polls,"
Naqvi said.
The BJP leader said the EC order on curbing use of
blackmoney during polls is also affecting the ordinary traders
in the state as they are being "harrassed by the ruling BSP
through the state police".
"We want that such traders be not harassed as
the money carried by them is being confiscated and common
traders are being harassed in the name of unaccounted money,"
he said.
The BJP leaders also complained about the Congress party
and the BSP for allegedly playing politics in the name of
caste and religion.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, January 10, 2012, 17:28