MP bypolls Some govt officials supporting BJP says Digvijaya

    Bhopal, Oct 16 (PTI) Ahead of bypolls to 28 Assembly
seats in Madhya Pradesh on November 3, senior Congress leader
and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh on Friday met poll
officials alleging some government officials were supporting
the ruling BJP.
    He said the bypolls were very important as the fate of
the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government, which came to power in
March, depends on how many of the 28 seats the BJP can win.
    "These bypolls will decide whether the current
government remains in power or not. Shivraj Singh Chouhan
himself is claiming he is a temporary CM and is exhorting
people to ensure permanency to his government," Singh said
after meeting the state's chief electoral officer along with
his colleague JP Dhanopia.
    Singh said 26 out of 28 BJP candidates in the bypolls
were part of the Congress previously and the saffron party had
even put up posters about their "dishonesty" in the 2018
Assembly polls.
    In such a scenario, Chouhan and the BJP are wary if
the people and party workers will vote for them.
    "Therefore, the MP government has handed over campaign
responsibilities to officials, especially police", Singh
claimed, adding that complaints along with proof about several
such officials had been given to poll authorities.
    "In Dimni, the Congress candidate's brother was beaten
up, In Sumavali, a party worker's vehicle was damaged. Dinara
police station is registering cases against Congress workers.
A Sahrai police station official is openly telling people to
vote for the BJP," Singh claimed.
    The chief electoral officer has appointed an IAS
officer to probe complaints within 24 hours, Singh told
reporters after meeting poll officials.
    He said the Congress had objected to the Indore civic
chief being asked to probe one such complaint against herself,
"which is a mockery of the system".
    "We have also complained about a BJP MLA distributing
cash in Sanwer, and another asking people to vote for BJP in
return for Rs 10,000," Singh alleged.
    MP BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agrawal termed these
allegations as baseless and said Singh should allow government
officials to work and not "terrorise" them.
    "Government officials are working as per rules and
will continue to do so. Election Commission officials must not
come under pressure from the Congress. They must conduct polls
in a free and fair manner," Agrawal said. PTI MAS
BNM BNM

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)