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Voting manipulation and police brutality plague 8 out of 15 by-poll seats; Muslim voters denied their right to vote in UP

sabrangindia    
Voter suppression and manipulation marred 8 out of 15 by-poll seats, with 7 in Uttar Pradesh witnessing blatant violations of fair voting practices and denial of votes to Muslim voters. In Punjab's Dera Baba Nanak, violent clashes erupted between AAP and Congress workers. In UP, police were seen to have brutally attacked voters demanding their right to vote. The ECI, initially a silent spectator, was eventually pressured by the opposition to suspend 7 officers for obstructing voters and verifying ballots.

A voter turnout of over 50% was recorded in the bypolls for 15 Assembly seats across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. Especially, voting in the bypolls for nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh saw a slow start on Wednesday, with turnout failing to exceed 60% in any constituency. Ghaziabad recorded a particularly low turnout of just 33%. In comparison, the state had a 61.03% turnout in the 2022 Assembly elections.

Voting began at 7 a. m. in constituencies including Katehari, Karhal, Mirapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur, and Kundarki, with polls scheduled to close at 5 p. m. By the 5 the 5 p. m. update, voter turnout figures were as follows: Ghaziabad 33.30%, Katehari 56.69%, Khair 46.43%, Kundarki 57.32%, Karhal 53.92%, Majhawan 50.41%, Meerapur 57.02%, Phulpur 43.43%, and Sisamau 49.03%.

Sabrang India reported multiple incidents of voter suppression across Uttar Pradesh’s Meerapur, Kundarki, and Sisamau assembly constituencies on November 20, 2024. As by-elections for 15 seats concluded at 6 pm, 8 out of 15 seats saw blatant violations of voting rights. Particularly troubling were the reports from 7 of the 9 seats in Uttar Pradesh, where Muslim women were allegedly denied their right to vote based on their religious identity. Hundreds of videos surfaced on social media, exposing these violations and raising concerns about the fairness of the elections. Additionally, clashes erupted between AAP and Congress workers in Punjab’s Dera Baba Nanak seat.

Muslim women voters stopped by police, IDs and voting slips illegally verified

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav shared a video from Kakrouli, Meerapur, showing a police officer in riot gear pointing a gun at women. In a post on X, he tagged the Election Commission, urging immediate suspension of the Kakrouli SHO. He accused the officer of preventing voters from casting their votes by threatening them with a revolver.

“Election Commission should immediately suspend SHO of Kakrouli police station area of Meerapur because he is stopping voters from casting their votes by threatening them with a revolver.” He wrote on X

Akhilesh Yadav also shared another video showing burqa-clad women claiming they were being prevented by police from reaching the polling station. In Ibrahimpur, Muslim women faced mistreatment and were denied the right to vote. Expressing concern on his official X handle, Yadav urged the Election Commission to take immediate action against the Station House Officer (SHO) responsible for the incident.

“There should be immediate suspension action against the SHO who used indecent behaviour and language with women to prevent them from casting their votes in Ibrahimpur,” he wrote on X.

Shockingly, voters were reportedly also stopped by police from casting their votes at booth number 65 in the Katehari Assembly of Ambedkar Nagar.

While the legal mandate to check voters’ IDs and slips lies with the presiding officer and their team, as clarified by the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh in an order dated November 19, 2024, police personnel deployed at polling booths in UP blatantly violated this rule on poll day i.e. November 20, 2024. Despite the mandate, police personnel demanded voters, particularly Muslim voters, show their IDs. Many were forcibly turned away and prevented from proceeding to the polling booths, effectively denying them their right to vote.

SP demanded re-polling on Kundarki assembly constituency

On Wednesday, the Samajwadi Party (SP) called for repolling in the Kundarki Assembly seat, alleging fraudulent voting and a deliberate attempt to prevent voters from a specific community from reaching polling stations. Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate, Mohammad Rizwan wrote to the Election Commission, requesting the cancellation of the election

However, Mohammad Rizwan confronted police officers who were checking voter IDs and slips at a barricade near a polling booth. Rizwan lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (ECI), accusing police of misconduct, including physically assaulting polling agents and obstructing voters, particularly in Milak Sikri. He alleged that police actions were aimed at disrupting the election process and intimidating party agents. Voters in Kundarki reported being questioned about their party choice, with those supporting the SP facing abrasive treatment and, in some cases, being denied the right to vote. Rizwan claimed the administration was actively preventing SP supporters from voting.

Rizwan claimed that SP supporters and other voters were subjected to extreme police atrocities, with reports of intimidation and obstruction. According to the candidate, the local administration was actively preventing and threatening Samajwadi Party supporters from exercising their right to vote.

 

Full story can be read here

ECI suspended 7 Policemen in UP over violations

Despite numerous videos circulating on X and other social media platforms, in which Muslim women alleged vote denial based on their religious identity, the Election Commission of India (ECI) initially remained silent. After facing pressure from the opposition, the ECI eventually took action and suspended seven police personnel, including three from Moradabad, two from Kanpur, and two from Muzaffarnagar.

These videos highlighted how voters supporting the Samajwadi Party (SP) were allegedly mistreated by the administration, with claims of rude behavior and intimidation. Many reported being denied the right to vote, particularly those pressing the SP’s cycle button.

It was after Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav accused police of unlawfully checking voter IDs and Aadhaar cards, publicly and repeatedly on ‘X’, formerly twitter,  urging the Election Commission to take action, that the poll body began to address the issue. Yadav’s accusations highlighted the BJP’s alleged influence on the administration to suppress votes and engage in foul play. While the ECI did suspend several officers, its initial inaction on the widespread complaints only fueled doubts about its impartiality.

Additionally, in a statement, Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Ridwa clarified that five police officers have been suspended in response to complaints of irregularities during voting. He emphasised that all voters arriving to cast their votes would undergo ID verification, but this responsibility lies solely with the polling station staff. Police officers are not authorized to check IDs, and any police personnel found performing this task will face strict action.

Punjab records 59.67% voter turnout till 5 PM in 4 Assembly Constituencies

In the Punjab by-polls across 4 assembly constituencies, the overall voter turnout reached an average of 59.67% by 5 PM. The turnout for individual seats was as follows: Dera Baba Nanak recorded 59.8%, Chabbewal (SC) saw 48.0%, Gidderbaha had the highest turnout at 78.1%, and Barnala recorded 52.7%.

While the election proceeded peacefully in most areas, a clash broke out between AAP and Congress workers at the Dera Pathana polling booth in Gurdaspur, creating a brief moment of tension. Despite this, the by-poll remained peaceful.

Palakkad (Kerala) bypoll turnout crosses 50%

With just half an hour remaining before polling stations close in the Palakkad by-election, voter turnout had reached 65.98%, with 1,28,484 votes cast out of 1,94,706 registered voters. Of the 1,00,290 women voters in the constituency, 66,162 have already cast their votes, reflecting active participation in the election process. The final turnout is expected to increase as the voting period concludes.

Kedarnath recorded 56.78 % turnout till 5 PM

As of 5 PM, the voter turnout in the Kedarnath by-election reached 56.78%, according to the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttarakhand. Voting began at 8 a.m. and concluded at 6 p.m.

However, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan criticised the illegal police interference in checking IDs, posting on X, he said that. “There are many credible reports of gross police interference with voting today. Police are preventing minorities from voting under the guise of checking ID cards. How is this permissible @ECISVEEP? Are you allowing @Uppolice to control elections?”

 

Hence, the by-elections for 15 assembly seats across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand on November 20, 2024, were marred by significant voter suppression and police misconduct. In Uttar Pradesh, 8 out of the 15 seats experienced blatant violations of voting rights, with Muslim women and other voters being denied the right to vote based on their religious identity. The Election Commission, initially silent, eventually suspended seven police officers in response to widespread allegations of illegal ID checks and voter obstruction. Violent clashes between AAP and Congress workers were also reported in Punjab’s Dera Baba Nanak. The low turnout, especially in Uttar Pradesh, raised concerns about the integrity of the election process.

The Election Commission’s delayed response to these violations further undermined public confidence in its impartiality. On November 23, 2024, the results for all 15 by-election seats will be announced, with voter suppression and electoral misconduct continuing to cast a shadow over the legitimacy of the outcomes. The gaze will then be on the integrity of the counting process, especially after serious concerns have been expressed about the concealment of actual voting figures — constituency-wise—by the ECI before counting begins, at 8 am on November 23.

Related:

https://sabrangindia.in/up-by-elections-reports-of-serious-disturbances-and-disruption-of-voters/

https://cjp.org.in/counting-of-votes-and-post-counting-remedies-to-the-victim-candidates-of-a-tainted-election-process/

https://sabrangindia.in/vote-for-democracy-vfd-releases-report-on-the-conduct-of-general-election-2024/

 

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