SP, Congress allege INDIA bloc's Ambedkar Nagar candidate put under house arrest
Lucknow (PTI): The Congress and the Samajwadi Party Saturday alleged that SP's Ambedkar Nagar Lok Sabha constituency candidate Lalji Verma has been put under house arrest at the behest of the ruling BJP.
The district administration could not be reached for a comment on the allegations of the two parties.
SP leader Arvind Kumar Singh wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer alleging the Ambedkar Nagar administration is influencing the elections by keeping the SP candidate under house arrest.
The EC should take cognisance so that fair voting is ensured, he said.
In a post on X, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said the police raided Verma's house. "But the police neither wanted to find anything nor found anything. This is an evil act to tarnish the honest image of Lalji Verma. Extremely condemnable! This is the frustration of the losing BJP," he said.
The Uttar Pradesh Congress said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP government are "so frightened by the fear of defeat that they have openly resorted to dictatorship".
"Information is being received that INDIA alliance candidate from Ambedkar Nagar Lalji Verma has been placed under house arrest," the party said on X.
"By misusing the government machinery, the candidates of the INDIA alliance are not being allowed to come out of the house and the voters are being threatened. Sir, if you have woken up, please take action," the party said, drawing the attention of the Election Commission of India.
In a separate post, the Samajwadi Party also appealed to the Election Commission to take cognisance of the matter.
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NIA registers case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal
New Delhi (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday registered a case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal, officials said.
The move came following a directive by the Union Home Ministry in this regard, they said.
In pursuance to the home ministry's order, the anti-terror agency on Sunday registered a case, which was originally filed at Uttar Kashi police station, Bhangar division, Kolkata on Saturday, and took up the investigation, an NIA spokesperson said in a late night statement.
"The case pertains to recovery of 79 crude bombs and other incriminating materials by Kolkata police, which were being stored at a spot, thereby endangering human life and property," the spokesperson said.
Earlier in the day, the Election Commission had directed the West Bengal Police to launch a special drive to arrest those involved in illegal manufacturing of crude bombs in the poll-bound state, an official said.
It asserted that all cases related to the making of any such explosive would be probed by the National Investigation Agency, the official said.
The directive came after the police recovered a large number of crude bombs from the house of a person, allegedly a TMC worker, at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district, days ahead of the second and final phase of the assembly polls in the state.
The explosives were recovered during a search at the residence of Rafikul Islam following specific inputs, the official said.
The poll panel also issued a warning to senior police officers across the state over any lapse in maintaining law and order before the April 29 polling.
The first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal was held on April 23, while the second phase will take place on April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
A record 93.19 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first round of polling. Bhangar will vote in the second phase.
