UP Election 2022: Akhilesh accuses 4 officials of working for BJP, seeks their removal

By Anish Kumar | First Published Jan 9, 2022, 6:52 PM IST

Their removal would ensure free and fair elections in the state, Samajwadi Party tells Election Commission

A day after the schedule for assembly elections was announced for five states by the Election Commission, Uttar Pradesh-based Samajwadi Party has written a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner for the removal of top four officials in the state government to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections.

Former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party has also alleged that these officers work as the ruling BJP’s workers. The officers that it has accused in its letter include Additional Chief Secretary in the Home department, Awanish Awasthi, Additional Chief Secretary in the Information department, Navneet Sahgal, ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar and ADG Special Task Force Amitabh Yash. The Samajwadi Party demands removal of these officers with immediate effect from their posts so that free and fair elections could be taken place in the state, the party letter read.

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On Saturday, the Election Commission of India had announced that elections will be held in seven phases in 403-assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh between February 10 and March 10. The results will be declared on March 12.

Hours before the announcement of the election schedules on Saturday, Akhilesh said that he would demand more funds from the election commission for political parties to ensure a better digital campaign amid a surge in the cases of Covid-19. Amidst increasing cases of Omicron variant across the country, the poll body has imposed a ban on carrying out physical, bike, car rallies and padyatra among others till January 15.

The political parties can conduct door-to-door campaigns with five persons, including candidates across the constituencies. The poll battle between the Samajwadi Party and the BJP is expected to be fierce as the former would attempt to regain power from the ruling BJP under Yogi Adityanath while the latter would try to retain power in the country’s largest state.

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