Allahabad: A former Samajwadi Party MLA and candidate in the ongoing UP assembly elections has been accused of putting pressure on a Dalit villager to cast his vote in favour of the party, police said on Sunday. An FIR was lodged under the SC/ST Act at Handia police station in the district`s trans-Ganga region yesterday on the complaint of one Dhanesh Pasi who has accused Mahesh Narain Singh and two of his supporters of having threatened him with dire consequences if he did not vote for the Samajwadi Party, they said. Singh had won the 2002 assembly elections from Handia assembly seat but lost in 2007.
He has once again been fielded by the party from the constituency, which goes to polls on February 15, where he is engaged in a multi-cornered contest.
Sources close to the former MLA as well as within the party were unavailable for comment.
PTI