UP civic polls 'stage-managed' in favour of BJP, alleges Samajwadi Party

LUCKNOW: A day after BJP swept the Uttar Pradesh civic elections, the Samajwadi Party on Saturday launched a frontal attack on the saffron brigade, saying it stage-managed the polls to turn them in its favour.

“BJP's winning percentage is 46% wherever polls were conducted via EVMs and 15% when it was done via the ballot papers,” the former UP chief minister said, hinting at a possible manipulation in the voting process.

The SP leader also rejected the BJP's claim of a landslide victory in the polls.

Akhilesh, who made the remarks in Kolkata, however, did not directly blamed “doctored” EVMs for the poll result, like some of his party colleagues did in the past elections.

Voicing a similar concern, his close confidant and senior party leader Azam Khan claimed there was “no tampering” of the EVMs but there was a “setting”, apparently referring to the “stage-managing” of the elections.

Though he did not elaborate what he meant by “setting”.

Backing Akhilesh's claims, Khan said: “BJP won wherever EVMs were used and SP won wherever ballot papers were used.”

Hailing his party's big win in the civic polls, BJP chief Amit Shah on Friday said the results had made it clear that the people had embraced the economic reforms and rejected the politics of casteism, appeasement and dynasty.

The BJP staged a massive victory in the polls on Friday, with its candidates winning 14 out of the 16 mayoral seats in the state.