As the election campaigns and polling’s go by, Sabrang India has widely covered incidents of Muslims voters who have reportedly been denied the right to vote from Mathura to Gujarat. As recently as May 7, UP’s Sambhal saw voters, especially Muslims, lathi-charged by the local police with reports of several Muslims saying that they were prevented from exercising their right to vote. This has raised grave concerns about the function of democracy in India.
Furthermore, a closer look at the BJP’s campaign reveals that they have publicly seem to have used fear tactics and at times, even direct threats to the public.
In 2022, Citizens for Justice and Peace had similarly noted notorious hate offender T Raja Singh, MLA from the Goshamahal Assembly of Hyderabad, Telangana, threatening voters to vote for the BJP, and those who would not would be subjected to ‘Yogi ji’s’ bulldozers, “To those who do not vote for Bharatiya Janata Party, I want to tell them that Yogi ji has ordered JCBs and bulldozers in thousands. These have already left for Uttar Pradesh. After the election, the areas of each person who did not support Yogi ji will be identified. ”
Jammu
In Jammu, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has accused BJP leaders of attempting to threaten residents in the Poonch region. Tagging the Election Commission of India, the PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti took to X to talk about the issue.
Is this why BJP wants to defer the Anantnag – Rajouri election so that its leaders can openly threaten violence against Paharis to force them to vote for Apni party or else they will create communal tensions reminiscent of the 1947 partition? @ECISVEEP should take note & ensure… pic.twitter.com/VXZQs4Syll
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) April 30, 2024
The Hindu reported that the spokesman from the PDP, the party has filed a written complaint with the Anantnag RO, reporting instances of criminal intimidation by BJP leaders in Rajouri and Poonch. They claim BJP leaders are pressuring people, particularly Pahari Muslims, to vote for the Apni Party, warning of consequences akin to those faced in 1947 if they refuse.
The party has sent a written complaint to the Returning Officer (RO) of Anantnag, accusing the party leaders of intimidating Pahari residents in the Rajouri-Poonch area to vote for Altaf Bukhari’s J&K Apni Party, as per a report in The Hindu. The latest news from Anantnag remains that the elections have now been postponed. PDP party workers were seen protesting against the move on May 1st.
On Wednesday, @jkpdp stages protest against the rescheduling of elections for the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat by the Election Commission of India, rallying party members to voice their dissent.@MehboobaMufti @Suhail_Bukhari pic.twitter.com/N1QU0BirF2
— Kashmir News Bureau (KNB) (@KNBKashmir) May 1, 2024
Assam
In Assam, BJP MLA and MP candidate Bijoy Malakar was campaigning for BJP candidate Kripanath Mallah in Karimganj and was seen making threats to voters. Karimganj hosts a Muslim population of about 56%, as per the 2011 Census of India.
An MLA from the Ratabari constituency in Karimganj district, Bijoy Malakar promised evictions from their homes of people who don’t vote for the BJP.
Assam #BJP MLA #VijayMallakar threatens people with bulldozer action if they don’t vote for his party.
The legislator from #Ratabari made these remarks while campaigning for BJP MP candidate #KripanathMallah.#LokSabaElections2024 pic.twitter.com/rOQktFzGgw
— Hate Detector 🔍 (@HateDetectors) April 17, 2024
After the Congress party filed a complaint to the police, Malakar reportedly made the statement that the videos of him making the threats were doctored.
Similarly, Assam also witnessed forest officials demanding people to vote for the BJP in Karimganj. Nine forest officials from the Assam Forest Department, including senior official MK Yadava who is the special chief secretary have been accused of intimidating voters in Karimganj. The officials reportedly did this to support BJP candidate Kripanath Mallah as Karimganj went to polls on April 26.
Local news outlet Borok Times reported that the locals of the Butukusi village have written a petition in Karimganj against MK Yadava and other forest officials, asking for an investigation into these alleged activities of intimidation in elections.
The petition has reportedly written about multiple such incidents across multiple villages, where officials made visits with armed police and forest guards who reportedly threatened residents with eviction unless they voted for the BJP candidate. The accused officials were also said to have made the use of offensive language as they asked the people to vote for the BJP.
Gujarat
News has arrived that BJP’s polling agents in Gujarat have reportedly violate the Model Code of Conduct in Gujarat by using pens that were laced with BJP’s symbols. The Congress party has lodged a complaint to the ECI in this regard. The party has also complained, in a separate complaint to the election commission, that polling agents of the BJP were found threatening voters and telling them if they did not vote for the BJP then they will not be allowed to vote or enter the voting area, as per a report in the Indian Express.
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