Firing, scuffles mar Lok Sabha polls in UP

Lucknow, April 24 (IANS) Minor incidents like scuffles, stone pelting and firing blanks were reported from polling booths in Uttar Pradesh as 12 Lok Sabha constituencies went to the polls Thursday.

Scuffles broke out in a booth in Jalalpur area of Kannauj constituency from where Dimple Yadav, wife of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, is seeking re-election to the Lok Sabha.

Officials told IANS that two groups from different parties confronted each other and fired in the air. Stone pelting was also reported from the area.

The situation was soon brought under control by the authorities.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faxed a complaint to the Election Commission about bogus voting and rigging in Firozabad, where Akshay Yadav, nephew of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, is contesting.

The BJP said paramilitary personnel were deliberately not deployed for election duty.

Alleging rigging at several booths in Jasrana, Sirsaganj and Shikohabad, the BJP accused district officials and police of acting as "poll agents of the government".

Poll panel officials said they were checking the veracity of the allegations.

Sanghmitra Maurya, Bahujan Samaj Party candidate from Mainpuri, also alleged rigging by "goons" of the Samajwadi Party in many places.

Maurya said BSP workers informed her that the beep sound was not coming when they pressed the button for the 'elephant' symbol of the BSP.

"When people voting for BSP complained to polling officials, they were told that in such a case, they should press the button for cycle, the symbol of the Samajwadi Party," she told IANS.

A scuffle was also reported from Agra, where BJP workers took on Samajwadi Party activists, alleging that the ruling party was intimidating people.

Four people were arrested in Cheetgaon area of Fatehpur Sikri, from where Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) candidate Amar Singh is contesting.

RLD and BJP workers also clashed in Daulatpur village of Mathura, in which six people were injured.