Clashes and Allegations of Voter Manipulation in Uttar Pradesh By-elections

Amid allegations of voter manipulation and police pressure, Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya rejected claims by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. The allegations emerged during the state's by-elections, highlighting tensions as both parties gear up for pivotal results on November 23.

Uttar Pradesh's Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya has dismissed allegations of voter manipulation made by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav during the state's by-elections. Maurya accused Yadav of pre-emptively casting doubts on the electoral process due to anticipatory fears of defeat.

In a related development, Maurya criticized Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, who had drawn contentious parallels between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden regarding memory issues. Maurya implied Gandhi's comments were aimed at undermining Modi's global leadership status.

The election atmosphere heated up further when Akhilesh Yadav claimed that electoral integrity was compromised by police and administrative interventions. He spotlighted an incident at Kakrouli police station, alleging voter intimidation, leading to demands for official accountability. These developments add to the challenges in these crucial by-elections with results imminently awaited on November 23.

(With inputs from agencies.)