Repoll recommended at 3 booths in Agra Teachers MLC seat after SP candidate alleges irregularities; threatens conversion
Polling in 11 MLC constituencies (five graduate and six teachers constituencies of the Legislative Council) was held on Friday.
A re-poll has been recommended at three polling stations in the Agra Teachers Legislative Council constituency due to allegations of irregularities and intimidation against the Samajwadi Party candidate, Aakash Agarwal. The recommendation was made by the Returning Officer at booths 20 in Kheragarh tehsil, 21 in Kshetra Panchayat Saiya, and 26 in Kshetra Panchayat Fatehabad. The UP Chief Electoral Officer, Navdeep Rinwa, forwarded the proposal to the Election Commission of India.
The controversy stems from Agarwal's claim of large-scale irregularities and intimidation during Friday's polling. The direct contest in this constituency is between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP). The polling took place between 8 am and 4 pm across 72 districts of Uttar Pradesh, with 1,481,310 voters registered to cast their ballots at 2,697 polling booths.
Following the complaints, Agra Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar visited the disputed booths to ensure free and fair polling. He assured SP leaders that the Election Commission's directions were being complied with. Agarwal, in a viral video, expressed his concern over being targeted and threatened with drug or arms planting by the police, which could result in his imprisonment as a Pakistani. He also threatened to convert to Islam if his allegations are not addressed.
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