SP candidate gives rigging tips to cadre

Bhopal: A purported video in which a candidate of Samajwadi Party (SP) seeking elections from a seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh was heard giving tips to his party workers on how to rig polls, on Wednesday went viral, stirring a political row here.

The SP nominee for Chhattarpur Lok Sabha constituency, R.R. Bansal, was heard in the video clip suggesting his party workers to compile data of voters who fail to make it to the booths on the polling day and cast their votes by proxy.

The SP leader was addressing party workers in Bizwar Kaswe on Wednesday ahead of four-phase LS polls in Madhya Pradesh, scheduled to be held during April 29- May 19.s

In the clip, he was also heard saying that polling percentage among the SP sympathisers in rural Madhya Pradesh has dropped from 80 percent earlier to around 60 percent in recent elections.

It appeared a section of supporters of SP were not keen to exercise their franchise in the elections; he was heard saying in the purported video.

The purported video also caught him saying that the workers should collect the data of such voters in their respective areas and cast their votes by proxy.

His purported suggestion however sparked a murmur of protests from a section of party workers prompting him to appeal to them that they should help the sick and incapacitated voters cast their votes by transporting them to the polling booths.

BJP here has reacted sharply to the statement by the SP candidate and said the party was mulling to move the Election Commission for action against him.

“We are examining the matter. We will move the EC for action against the SP candidate if he is found to have made an indication to his party workers to resort to malpractice in the polls”, a spokesman of BJP here said.