cong-accuses-bjp-of-rigging-vijaypur-bypoll-seeks-repoll

The Madhya Pradesh Congress on Thursday accused the BJP of rigging the by-election to the Vijaypur assembly seat in the state by roping in goons to intimidate and attack some local citizens and demanded repolling in 37 polling booths.

 

Congress has also claimed that the BJP workers desecrated the statue of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar in Vijaypur constituency in Sheopur district on the night of polling.

 

MP Congress president Jitu Patwari claimed that the state machinery was blatantly misused to benefit the BJP during the bypolls to Vijaypur and Budhni constituencies on Wednesday.

 

But the Congress will win the by-election in Vijaypur even after the violence orchestrated by the BJP, he said.

 

"A reign of terror was unleashed on Jatavs (a Dalit community) and tribal people in Vijaypur before and after the by-elections on Wednesday. The BJP went on a rampage. Many tribal-dominated areas came under their attack. The properties of Dalits were torched. BJP workers also desecrated a statute of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar at night," Patwari alleged.

 

"It was for the first time that even Democrats were roped in to influence elections. Dacoit Bunty Rawat from Rajasthan, who faces 40 criminal cases, created terror in Vijaypur as he brought eight other dacoits to influence the elections. He was caught by people, who finally handed him over to the police," he said.

 

The state machinery was blatantly misused to benefit the BJP during the by-polls to both the constituencies in the saffron party-ruled state. "We have sought repolling in 37 polling booths in Vijaypur," he said.

 

"Even after the BJP's nefarious design of rigging the by-elections, we are going to win. We were expecting to win the Vijaypur seat by a margin of more than 50,000 votes. But after the BJP orchestrated violence, our victory margin has been halved. We will now win the seat by more than 25,000 votes," he said.

 

Patwari announced that the party will stage a protest across Madhya Pradesh on Monday against the alleged desecration of Dr. Ambedkar's statue.

 

Asked whether Jatavs and tribals were targeted for their perceived inclination towards the Congress, Patwari said other communities also voted in favour of his party in Vijaypur.