Guv prevails upon SEC to restrain Mulayam from distributing sops

Lucknow, Oct 18 (UNI) The Uttar Pradesh Raj Bhawan has finally prevailed upon the state election commission to restrain Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav from distributing sops during the ongoing urban local body elections.

Raj Bhawan sources told UNI today that the SEC has intimated Governor T V Rajeswar that it has restrained Mr Yadav from distributing cheques of unemployment allowance and Kanya Vidyadhan between October 20 and November 3 -- till the end of the urban local body elections.

The SEC also confirmed that a letter to this effect has been sent to district magistrates and the Raj Bhawan.

While the SEC had allowed the CM to hold functions of cheque distribution in rural areas and avoid urban areas, Mr Rajeswar had objected to holding of such programmes even in rural areas.

The Raj Bhawan had dashed off a letter to the SEC asking it to restrain the CM from holding of such programmes. After receiving the letter, state election commissioner Aparmita Prasad Singh had consulted legal experts before taking a decision.

On October 11, when the SEC had met the Governor, the matter of cheque distribution was discussed. The SEC had assured that such programmes would be organised outside the municipal limits.

But the Governor thought that despite holding such programmes outside urban areas, it would be impossible to know about the beneficiaries -- whether they live in rural or urban areas.

''Therefore, in a bid to check any possible complaints and to ensure a free and fair poll, the Raj Bhawan asked the SEC to restrain the CM or any other political functionary from holding such functions till the polls were over,'' sources explained.

The SEC had allowed AICC president Sonia Gandhi to attend a function related to Lifeline Express at Uchahar in Rae Bareli, her parliamentary constituency yesterday.

UNI NAB PK VV1824