UP bypolls: Samajwadi Party vehicle seized for poll code violation

Muzaffarnagar (UP), Nov 12 (PTI) A vehicle belonging to the Samajwadi Party was seized on Tuesday for carrying a party flag in violation of model code of conduct in Meerapur assembly seat, officials said.

The vehicle was part of a cavalcade of former MP and SP leader Kadir Rana during campaigning for his daughter-in-law Sumbul Rana, the SP candidate from the Meerapur seat.

Circle Officer Ravishankar told reporters that police have seized a vehicle carrying a flag of Samajwadi Party as it flouted election norms.

He said police are investigating the matter.

No FIR of model code of conduct violation was registered in this regard yet.

A video has gone viral in which Rana, who was the BSP MP from Muzaffarnagar from 2009 to 2014, is purportedly seen arguing with police after the vehicle was seized.

Meanwhile, Sumbul Rana has filed a complaint with the Election Commission alleging that the in-charge of Morna police outpost is pressuring SP workers to support BJP-RLD alliance candidate Mithilesh Pal.

When the SP workers refused to do that, the outpost in-charge seized a vehicle of the party despite having permission for campaigning.

Kadir Rana and 24 others were on Monday booked for violation of the model code of conduct for holding an election meeting at the panchayat building.

From the Meerapur assembly seat, there are 11 candidates in the fray.

The bypoll in Meerapur has been necessitated after its sitting legislator Chandan Chauhan of the RLD got elected to the Lok Sabha from Bijnor.

Bypolls would be held in nine assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh on November 20. These are Katehari in Ambedkar Nagar, Karhal in Mainpuri, Meerapur in Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad, Majhawan in Mirzapur, Sishamau in Kanpur city, Khair in Aligarh, Phulpur in Prayagraj and Kundarki in Moradabad.

The Congress is not contesting the bypolls and supporting its INDIA bloc partner SP, while the Bahujan Samaj Party is contesting all nine seats on its own. PTI CORR ABN ABN KVK KVK