UP Election 2022: 'Family person will not run away with jhola': Akhilesh reacts to PM Modi's remark

Amid reports of technical snag in EVMs at some places, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned the issue with the first phase of polling, which started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, is underway in 58 assembly seats spread across 11 districts in the western part of the state.

“There were several reports that EVM was not functioning properly, voting was stopped for hours, and people had to wait in order to cast their votes. The preparation for a fair election should have been done by the Election Commission to ensure smooth voting,” SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.

On Samajwadi Party’s allegation that poor voters were not allowed to exercise their franchise in Dundukheda village in the Kairana assembly constituency, Additional Chief Election Officer (ACEO) BD Ram Tiwari said the District Magistrate concerned has been asked to look into the matter.

Meanwhile, reacting to PM Modi’s remark on dynasty politics, Akhilesh Yadav said, “We are proud to have families. A family person will not run away with jhola (bag) and leave the family behind. During lockdown, if CM (Yogi Adityanath) had a family, he would’ve understood the pain of labourers walking miles to reach their home.”

A voter turnout of 48.24 per cent has been recorded till 3 pm for the first phase of polling in western Uttar Pradesh on February 10 (Thursday).

Polling, which started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, is going on peacefully, said Election Commission officials. Even though there were reports of a technical error in EVMs at some places, the EVMs were replaced soon, added the officials.