Day before last phase, BJP men bribed people, forcefully applied ink, alleges Chandauli residents

The residents of Tara Jivanpur village in Uttar Pradesh’s Chandauli district on Sunday alleged that BJP men forcefully applied ink on their fingers a day before the elections and gave Rs 500 for not telling anyone. “They were from BJP and asked us if we'll vote for the party. They told us now you can't vote. Don't tell anyone,” news agency ANI quoted one of the residents as saying.

Reacting to the allegations of bribery against the BJP, Chandauli District SDM Kr Harsh allowed them to cast their votes and assured that action will be taken as per the complaint filed by the residents.

“Complainants are present at police station. We will take action as per the complaint they file. They are still eligible to cast votes as the elections hadn't begun then, they will have to mention in the FIR that ink was forcefully applied to them," Chandauli SDM Kr Harsh said.

Chandauli is among the high profile seats going to polls in the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections. State BJP President Mahendra Nath Pandey, who had won the constituency in 2014, is seeking re-election from Chandauli seat.

Located near PM Modi’s Varanasi, the constituency has a dominant Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe population. The constituency has OBC, mainly Yadavs, as the largest population. Muslims also have a sizeable population but Brahmins and Thakurs, who are considered BJP’s traditional voters, are not in a position to play a decisive role.

In a possible bid to woo the non-Yadav voters, the Samajwadi Party has fielded Sanjay Chauhan of the Janwadi Party from Chandauli. Sanjay Chauhan belongs to the Lonia community that comes under the OBC category.