Nominations For UP Block Panchayat Chief Posts Filed Amid Violence

Nominations for the posts of the block panchayat head were filed in all 75 Uttar Pradesh districts on Thursday amid reports of clashes and allegations of snatching of papers at several places.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress have accused BJP workers indulging in violence.

According to a report from Bahraich, supporters of a candidate for Balha block clashed with police when allegedly stopped from entering the nomination room and pelted them with stones, resulting in an injury to a policeman.

A case has been registered and some people have been taken into custody, SDM Ram Asrey Verma said, adding that police resorted to a lathicharge to control the situation.

Sitapur District Magistrate Vishal Bharadwaj said one person sustained injury after some people allegedly opened fire during the filing of the papers in Kasmanda block.

The injured was referred to a Lucknow hospital for treatment while four people were arrested in this connection, the DM said.

In the Shahpur area of Chargawan block, some people allegedly attacked the BJP-backed candidate and her supporters, prompting police to resort to a lathicharge to control the situation.

A video also surfaced on social media, in which a Samajwadi Party-backed candidate's papers are seen snatched and torn in Ambiyapur block of Badaun in the presence of police, according to reports.

Additional Director General of Police Prashant Kumar said reports of wrongdoings in the filing of nomination papers have been received from 14 places and orders were given to file cases.

Meanwhile, reports of clashes also surfaced from Kannauj, Etah and Gorakhpur.

In Kannauj, violence erupted in Talgram and Gugrapur blocks with the Samajwadi Party accusing the BJP of using government machinery to harass rivals with the help of police.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged, "The ruling BJP has held the law and order of Uttar Pradesh hostage. The people belonging to the ruling party are openly throttling democracy and police, administration are watching this murder of democracy as mute spectators."

Mr Yadav said former Uttar Pradesh Assembly speaker Mata Prasad Pandey's car was damaged in Siddharthnagar district's Itwa block.

A Samajwadi Party delegation led by party leader Naresh Uttam also complained to the State Election Commission, alleging that the candidates supported by them were stopped from filing papers.

They alleged that BJP workers tore nomination papers of SP-backed candidates, roughed up their supporters, hindered filing of nominations at several places.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too accused BJP workers of indulging in violence, alleging that democracy was being "ripped off" in the state.

"PM sahab and CM sahab should also congratulate" on how their workers in UP indulged in stone-pelting and firing, looted nomination papers, beat up journalists and "misbehaved with women", she said sharing a video of the violence on Twitter.

"By blind-folding the law and order system, democracy is being ripped off," the Congress general secretary said in a Hindi tweet.

The State Election Commission had on July 5 issued the notification for the elections, for which nominations were filed between 11 am to 3 pm on Thursday.

The last date to withdraw the candidature is July 9. Voting will be held on July 10 from 11 am to 3 pm and the counting will be held after that on the same day.