"Deliberate delay": SP chief Akhilesh Yadav demands transparency in UP MLC vote counting

In a post on X, Yadav called upon Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar to take immediate cognisance of the situation and ensure complete transparency in the electoral process.

The SP chief raised serious concerns over the execution of the vote-counting process across various centres in the state, pointing out that official round-wise updates were being withheld from political parties and the media.

"Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar should take immediate cognisance and make the results transparent. There is deliberate delay in the UP MLC vote counting. Votes are being counted very slowly, and the Election Commission is not officially announcing the results of each round. Neither political parties nor the media are being shared any information," he said.

https://x.com/yadavakhilesh/status/2115057639939805364

Yadav asserted that Samajwadi Party workers and officials are monitoring the counting centres closely. He underlined that the party will launch a movement against the ECI and will file a case against the poll body.

"The Election Commission should not make a mockery of democracy. SP workers and officials are keeping a sharp eye on the vote counting. All workers will remain vigilant until the victory certificate is received. If the District Magistrate and Commissioner attempt any kind of foul play, we will launch a movement against them and file a case," he said.

Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, votes are being tallied for 11 high-stakes divisions, five graduate constituencies (Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Allahabad-Jhansi) and six teacher constituencies (Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad, Gorakhpur-Faizabad).

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pitted its candidates against Akhilesh Yadavs Samajwadi Party (SP) across all 11 constituencies. Key BJP figures include Kedar Nath Singh (Varanasi Graduates), Dinesh Goel (Meerut Graduates), Ashok Kumar Rathore (Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates), and Pramod Mishra (Varanasi Teachers).

The opposition SP strategically inducted and fielded denied ticket-seekers and former BJP leaders, most notably Sanjayan Tripathi in Gorakhpur-Faizabad Teachers and Akash Agarwal in Agra, to challenge official saffron nominees directly on their home turf. (ANI)