INDIA Ahead In UP, Jairam Ramesh Back With "Pressure Tactics" Allegation

Congress's Jairam Ramesh, bolstered by the party's performance today, renewed his attack on the BJP with a fresh allegation of their putting pressure on district officers in charge of counting of Lok Sabha Election votes. This time though, he was circumspect. No names were taken. Instead, his post on X tagging the Election Commission, read: "In Uttar Pradesh's Maharajganj, Bansgaon, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar seats, pressure is being exerted on district officials through phone calls to win the seats. Administrative officials should remember that the government is changing and this tampering with democracy will not be accepted".

The seats he named were the ones where the INDIA bloc, represented by the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, is ahead.

Mr Ramesh came under pressure from the poll body to provide evidence after he accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of intimidating district officers.

On the last day of Lok Sabha election, he posted on X an allegation that Mr Shah had spoken to 150 officers. "This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is... Officers should not get under any pressure and must uphold the Constitution. They are under watch," his post read.

The matter was immediately taken up by the Election Commission, which asked him to provide details of the 150 District Magistrates, who play a key role during counting.

Mr Ramesh was backed up by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who late last evening, appealed to the country's bureaucrats to serve the nation without fear.

"Do not get intimidated by anyone. Do not bow down to any Unconstitutional means. Do not be afraid of anyone and discharge your duties, based on merit, on this counting day," Mr Kharge wrote in the open letter he posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Today, Uttar Pradesh, seen as the Gateway to Delhi because of the 80 MPs it sends, made it clear that the BJP's free run is over.

The BJP had swept Uttar Pradesh in 2014 and held of its ground in 2019. This time most exit polls had predicted an edge for the party.

But the heartland state upset the BJP applecart, pushing the INDIA bloc -- Samajwadi Party and the Congress -- ahead in more than 40 of its 80 seats by 3 pm. The BJP is in mid-thirties.