The political scene in Uttarakhand turned chaotic on Thursday as the opposition Congress leveled allegations of hooliganism and abduction of its voters by the BJP in Nainital and other district panchayat polls, thus inviting intervention of the high court.
Nainital District Panchayat Presidential election in the hill town turned unruled resulting in bedlam where top Congress leaders of the state were allegedly manhandled and their supporting panchayat members were abducted on Thursday morning as they were going to cast their votes.
The Congress party alleged that Leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya, deputy leader Bhuvan Kapari, party MLA Sumit Hridyesh and former MLA Sanjeev Arya were manhandled by the BJP men as they were there to monitor the election for the party. Congress claimed an argument broke out between its leaders and the BJP supporters in presence of the police and quickly translated into physical altercation.
“As the arguments between congress and the BJP workers continued, 30-40 people began thrashing four Congress supported panchayat members and forcibly took them away in a vehicle to an unknown location.” alleged Sanjeev Arya, former Congress MLA and son of Yashpal Arya.
Congress leaders alleged that the ruling party in its greed to win panchayat polls has resorted to all unfairness and voter theft in Nainital district panchayat presidential polls thwarting all democratic values.
Leader of the opposition in the state assembly Yashpal Arya alleged “Five Congress supporting newly elected district panchayat members were kidnapped by the BJP men while they were going to cast their votes. Our supporters were beaten, dragged and bundled into a vehicle by the BJP goons. They were taken to an undisclosed place.
Ruling party hooligans kidnapped Congress supporters in front of the police but later turned out to be mere spectators.
This was a blatant misuse of power and state machinery by the BJP” said the angry Yashpal Arya as he immediately approached Nainital High Court demanding its intervention to bring back the Congress voters safely.
Following the incident, Congress workers staged protests in Nainital and Dehradun demanding immediate action against the accused persons. Congress leaders warned that if four abducted panchayat members are not returned safely no action was taken against the accused men and protests will expand across the state.
In its petition Congress party urged the court that election for Nainital district panchayat president and vice president must be deferred. Party stated to the court that fair voting was impossible as the ruling party and police force present there were intimidating opposition members.
Hearing the matter in the afternoon HC ordered the district administration and the police to produce the alleged abducted electorates by 4 pm. However police and administration both could not trace the Congress supported men, as claimed by the party till the time news was being filed and the matter was being heard in the court.
District panchayat presidential polls were held in eight districts of the state on August 14 where voters were elected members of respective panchayat constituencies. Congress claimed that the party had a majority of 20 voters on its side but BJP men took five of them away forcibly with the help of the administration.