Akhilesh Yadav claims UP govt ‘stealing’ EVMs in Varanasi, rebuts exit polls predicting BJP win

Addressing the media today, Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the Varanasi District Magistrate was transporting the EVMs without informing the local candidates.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government was “stealing” the Electronic Voting machines and that trucks with EVMs were caught in Varanasi, as he claimed video proof of the theft.

He said videos showed EVMs were left unprotected at a counting centre in Varanasi, and they were taken away in three trucks. One of the trucks, he claimed, was intercepted by Samajwadi Party workers.

Addressing the media today, Yadav claimed that the Varanasi District Magistrate was transporting the EVMs without informing the local candidates. “We need to be alert if EVMs are being transported this way. This is theft. We need to save our votes. We may go to court against it but before that, I want to appeal to people to save the democracy,” he said.

Accusing the BJP of trying to ‘steal’ votes, the SP chief said that exit polls meant to create perception that saffron party was winning the UP elections. He also questioned who was paying for the exit polls which gave a clear edge to the BJP.

He also alleged that government officials in Lucknow are directing their subordinates in the districts to slow down the counting of votes and prolong the process till late night where the chances of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning the electoral contest are slim.

Yadav alleged that the instructions are particularly with regard to 47 seats which the BJP had won in the last state Assembly polls with a margin of less than 5,000 votes.

The series of allegations by the Samajwadi Party chief comes a day after exit polls published after last phase of voting in UP projected a comfortable victory for the ruling BJP. While several exit poll surveys predicted over 240 seats for the BJP, the one conducted by India Today-Axis MyIndia gave the saffron party a whopping over 300 seats and just 86 to the SP-RLD alliance, which has lately emerged as the main opponent in the state.