Ballia bypoll: Another FIR registered against BSP nominee

Ballia, Dec 25 (UNI) Another FIR has been registered against the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate for Ballia bypolls, scheduled for December 29.

This is the third FIR against BSP nominee Vinaj Shankar Tiwari within a week.

Police Superintendent L V Antony Dev Kumar today said the FIR was lodged against Tiwari, his gunner and driver for issuing life threats to the chauffeur of senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former Uttar Pradesh Rural Development Minister Narad Rai near Chitto Pande crossing.

Tiwari, the son of former UP minister and strongman Hari Shankar Tiwari of Gorakhpur, is one of the strongest contenders in fray for the coming bypolls, following the polarisation of Brahmin and Dalit votes in the state.

Recently, the BSP candidate was booked for violating the model code of conduct for using a cavalcade of about 115 vehicles without taking prior permission of the district administration.

Later, Tiwari was also booked for another breach of model code of conduct.

Besides, FIRs had been lodged against almost all other candidates of prominent political parties, including the principal opposition SP, the BJP and the Congress, for violating the model code of conduct during the past few days.

Cases had been registered against SP candidate and son of former Prime Minister and sitting MP Chandrashekhar, Neeraj Shekhar, BJP's Virendra Kumar Mast and Congress nominee Rajeev Upadhyay.

''Investigations in all these cases are underway and if, once these are proven, candidates would be chargesheeted,'' the SP said.

Ballia Lok Sabha seat had fallen vacant following the demise of Chandrashekhar recently.

UNI