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60-65% polling in Haidergarh
amidst tight security

Polling for the Haidergarh assembly constituency, from where Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Raj Nath Singh is contesting, remained incident free even as 60-65% of the 210,000 electorate turned up on Saturday to exercise their franchise amidst the tightest ever security.

With the Election Commission cracking the whip on Friday, the official machinery seemed to have swung into action at long last to ensure strict enforcement of the model code of conduct that was so far observed more in its breach.

Security was stepped up at each of the 252 polling stations. Instead of the earlier arrangement of one armed guard along with four other cops, the district administration of Barabanki decided to deploy four armed constables under a sub-inspector at each of the polling stations.

Barabanki District Magistrate Anita Singh had banned the entry of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Saran Singh and Raghuraj Pratap Singh, known as Rajju bhaiya, a minister in the UP cabinet, from stepping into Haidergarh assembly constituency.

Haidergarh resembled a curfew bound area with all markets, offices and commercial establishments ordered to shut down, borders sealed and restrictions placed on plying of vehicles within the constituency.

Anita Singh said that the administration had 'evicted nearly 10,000 outsiders from the constituency'.

And sure enough, it had the desired affect. Voting went on peacefully throughout the day.

Surprisingly, local police had taken two MLAs, both belonging to opposition parties, into custody. Vinod Singh of the Samajwadi Party, who was caught moving around with armed men, was reportedly released after furnishing a personal bond.

The other legislator Bahujan Samaj Party's Shyam Sunder Bharti had been detained at the Haidergarh police station till late evening.

Bharti complained to mediapersons, "I do not know under what law they have detained me. I was simply taking a round of some villages in my constituency, which border Haidergarh, when some policemen picked me up and detained me since Saturday morning."

"They have done this to prevent me from providing moral support to my party supporters who were being openly intimidated by the ruling party," he added.

While Vinod Singh was not available for comment, Samajwadi Party state general secretary Bhagwati Singh told rediff.com, "Raj Nath Singh had let loose his party goons to intimidate poor voters."

Earlier on Saturday morning, a visibly shaken chief minister was pleading his innocence in whatever violations had taken place during the electioneering.

"I believe in strictly abiding by the instructions of the Election Commission and have also been telling all my minister colleagues and other partymen to follow the rules," he told rediff.com.

"But, how am I responsible if some ministers or others follow my motorcade despite my telling them to keep away," Raj Nath Singh said.

Then, in a bid to give himself a clean chit, he added, "Give me one example where ministers or senior party leaders have not visited a constituency from where a prime minister or a chief minister was contesting."

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