Case registered gainst Mulayam for tiff with Etawah EC official

Etawah (Uttar Pradesh), May 12 (ANI): A case has been registered against Samajwadi Party (SP) president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, a day after he was involved in a second tiff with an Election Commission (EC) observer, this time in Etawah.

The incident took place at booth number 227 and 228 of the Parsana centre of Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency after villagers complained that the EC observer was not allowing them to vote. The observer had detected three voters with fake ration cards.

Mulayam was furious and took up the issue with the observer. The observer told him that the villagers were coming to the polling booth with fake ration cards. Yadav argued that the rations cards were duly signed by the district supply officer of Etawah and were genuine.

Etawah is the home district of Mulayam and Mainpuri is the Lok Sabha constituency from where he is contesting. On May 7, the SP Chief got involved in an argument with EC observer Nilay Mitash, a Karnataka cadre IAS officer over the deployment of ITBP jawans at the entrance of the polling booth.

Meanwhile, an FIR has been lodged against 100 SP supporters in Etawah district for allegedly attempting to capture two booths during repolling in Mainpuri Parliamentary constituency.

The case was registered against the SP supporters last night (May 11) for disrupting poll process at two booths in Parsana area, where repoll was held yesterday, District Magistrate Etawah D C Shukla said. Senior Superintendent of Police, Etawah, Kripa Shanker said the FIR was lodged by a static observer Bhim Singh, who had alleged that the SP workers attempted to capture the booths. "The case is being investigated further," he said.

Earlier, following complaints of irregularities in polling on May 7, the Election Commission ordered repolling at two polling stations. (ANI)