– Akhilesh Tripathi
Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party alleged that Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar was favouring the BJP and burnt his effigy, making this the first instance in the country’s history where a political party has publicly burnt the effigy of CEC.
Party workers gathered outside the SP office here before setting fire to the effigy. During the protest, they expressed their anger by stomping on the effigy after it had burned. They also chanted slogans like “Down with the Election Commission” and accused Kumar of manipulating the Milkipur by-election in favour of BJP.
The protest was led by Ram Sudhakar Yadav, former secretary of Mulayam Singh Yadav Youth Brigade. Addressing the protest, he stated, “The BJP and the Election Commission are working together, which is why the SP candidate lost in Milkipur. The voter lists are being manipulated to benefit BJP.”
Yadav further accused the EC of election fraud, from voter registration to vote counting. He claimed, “SP supporters’ names are deliberately removed from voter lists to reduce the party’s vote share. As long as Rajiv Kumar is CEC, BJP will never lose an election.”
Additionally, he alleged that polling officials intimidated SP supporters, presiding officers manipulated voting machines in favour of BJP, and EVMs were tampered with – from polling stations to the strong room.
SP workers demanded that the party’s top leadership launch an awareness campaign to expose the alleged collusion between the EC and BJP. They vowed to organise statewide protests against the EC and educate the public on how the Commission and BJP were working together to influence election outcomes.
This unprecedented move by the SP has brought attention to the perceived erosion of the EC’s neutrality. According to SP leaders, Rajiv Kumar has compromised the integrity of the institution by aligning with BJP. They accused him of effectively handing over the EC to the ruling party and acting as its subordinate.
SP leaders argued that if Kumar had ensured fair elections during the Milkipur Assembly by-election, such protests would not have been necessary. Instead, they alleged that he acted as a ‘BJP agent’, undermining democratic principles.
The party highlighted multiple instances of alleged election misconduct, including complaints against three police officers accused of working for BJP, Ayodhya SSP Raj Karan Nayyar illegally checking voters’ identity cards, and Milkipur SDM personally casting votes for BJP. Furthermore, an individual openly admitted to casting six votes. Despite complaints from SP President Akhilesh Yadav and Ayodhya MP Awadhesh Prasad, the EC took no action, further fuelling suspicions of bias.
As a result of the Milkipur election outcome favouring BJP, the SP intensified its protests, culminating in the burning of Rajiv Kumar’s effigy and accusations of his collusion with the ruling party.
This incident marks the first time a political party has publicly burned the effigy of the CEC while directly accusing him of partiality towards the ruling party. While Rajiv Kumar may view this as an isolated protest, the SP believes his actions have severely damaged the credibility and integrity of the EC. The controversy has led to growing public scepticism regarding the Commission’s neutrality and trustworthiness.
