BJP seeks central forces, CCTV cams in all booths of Karhal
LUCKNOW : Union minister for information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur approached the election commission, seeking deployment of central paramilitary forces in all booths of Karhal assembly segment in Mainpuri from where Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is contesting election. The BJP also sought flag march by central paramilitary forces a day before Karhal goes to polls on February 20. The BJP claimed that union minister of state and party’s MP, SP Singh Baghel, who is contesting against Akhilesh from Karhal, was targeted by goons allegedly at the behest of the SP on Tuesday.
This is the second time this election that a senior leader has alleged threat to life. A day before, on Monday, BJP’s former ally Suheldev Bharatiya Janata Party chief Om Prakash Rajbhar had alleged that the BJP had instigated an attack on him. “We seek CCTV cams in all booths and deployment of central paramilitary forces,” said Thakur, who along with a party delegation that included party spokesman Manish Shukla, visited the election commission. The BJP’s representation to the EC was signed by Thakur, JPS Rathore, the party’s election management in-charge and general secretary, former UP BJP chief Laxmikant Bajpai and Subhash Yaduvansh, UP BJP secretary.
In the representation, the BJP claimed that 20-25 people targeted Baghel’s motorcade near village Atikullapur around 7pm. “The miscreants, armed with bricks and rods, also surrounded Baghel’s vehicle. They wanted to make a bid on life of the BJP candidate. Violence is nothing new in Karhal where in the past voting machines have been damaged,” the BJP claimed.
Asked about SBSP chief’s charge that the BJP was plotting to eliminate him, Subhash Yaduvansh said, “That attack could be due to the inherent contradictions among the Samajwadi Party and SBSP over ticket sharing. The BJP has got nothing to do with it. Why is SP changing tickets frequently? Is there more to it than meets the eye?”