Samajwadi Party Alleges Bias in UP BLO Postings Ahead of Assembly Bypolls

The Election Commission is investigating allegations from the Samajwadi Party of biased postings of Booth Level Officers in Uttar Pradesh. The party claims Muslim and Yadav officials are being removed and replaced in key constituencies before the bypolls, raising concerns about fair elections.

Addressing complaints from the Samajwadi Party, the Election Commission has requested a detailed report from the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Uttar Pradesh regarding allegations of biased postings of officials from certain communities ahead of the State Assembly bypolls. The Samajwadi Party delegation met with the commission on Wednesday, claiming politicization and bias in the postings of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in the 29-Kundarki Assembly constituency in Moradabad and the Sisamau Assembly constituency in Kanpur.

In a letter to the state's CEO, the EC requested details on the list of BLOs from the Lok Sabha elections and information on those removed ahead of the bypolls. During the EC meeting, Samajwadi Party Leader Ramgopal Yadav accused the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government of systematically removing Muslim and Yadav officials, as well as BLOs, from districts where bypolls will take place.

A senior delegation including Rajya Sabha MPs Ramgopal Yadav and Javed Ali Khan submitted a memorandum to the EC, detailing their grievances and urging the commission to ensure an equitable election process for all parties and candidates. The EC pledged to investigate the claims.

Earlier, on August 29, Samajwadi Party state president Shyam Lal Pal sent a memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh, alleging the replacement of Muslim BLOs with non-Muslim counterparts in the Mirzapur by-election area, specifically the 399-Majhawan Assembly constituency. A list of affected BLOs was provided, demanding an inquiry and appropriate action against the guilty officials.

The memorandum highlighted that more than 11 Muslim BLOs were changed in the Majhawan Assembly constituency, describing the actions as undemocratic, unconstitutional, and detrimental to fair elections. The Samajwadi Party had previously raised similar concerns regarding the Kundarki and Sisamau Assembly constituencies, with a memorandum submitted by K.K. Shrivastava, Harischandra Yadav, and Radheshyam Singh.

(With inputs from agencies.)