Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election results on March 10, the Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal candidate from Hastinapur assembly constituency in Meerut, Yogesh Verma, has decided to camp outside the EVM counting site at the Agriculture University with binoculars. He is keeping a watch on the strong room and adjoining areas where EVMs have been kept after polling.
This is perhaps after the SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav has ordered to keep an eye on EVM strong room and other movements around it to prevent any kind of ‘mishandling’. “We will work in three shifts of 8 hours. We don’t believe in exit polls, Akhilesh Yadav will become CM. We’ll form govt with a majority,” Verma said to the news agency ANI.
“SP chief has ordered to keep an eye on EVM strong room & other movements around it. We will work in three shifts of 8 hours. We don’t believe in exit polls, Akhilesh Yadav will become CM. We’ll form govt with a majority,” SP candidate from Hastinapur Yogesh Verma said. pic.twitter.com/y6GyUp6W1l
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) March 8, 2022
According to the reports, the district administration has made the site at the Agriculture University the counting centre for Sardhana, Siwalkhas and Hastinapur constituencies. On Sunday, Verma reached the university in an open jeep, parked his vehicle around 400 metres away and began inspecting the strongroom through binoculars. Verma said that he is able to keep a watch on things within the range of 3 kms.
He further stated he would continue to keep watch until March 10 and that the SP was not in the position to take risk in the elections. Verma added that the district administration had given permission to one person of each candidate to stay close to the strong room, where they could keep a watch at the main entrance. “The leaders will be reported immediately”, he was quoted.
Yogesh Verma also said that the exit polls were not trustworthy. He cited the example of West Bengal state assembly elections and said that exit polls had said that BJP would come to power but Mamata Banerjee formed the govt with full majority. “Exit polls are wrong. It has been a history that the Hastinapur MLA and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh have been of the same party”, he affirmed.
Netizens mock Yogesh Verma for eyeballing EVM strong room
Netizens meanwhile made fun of the orders by SP Chief and their mistrust of the EVMs. One of the users said that ‘exit polls might be wrong. How can SP get these many votes? It seems that SP has hacked the EVM’.
Mujhe bhi exit poll galat lg rha hai.. mai to sonch rha huun kaise SP ko etne vote mil gye , lagta hai SP ne EVM me garbari ki hai. SP ne EVM hack karne ki kosis ki hai.
— human@sud (@sudhanshu6668) March 8, 2022
Another user slammed the party for not having faith in the system. “Those who do not have faith in the country’s army, do not trust the country’s judiciary, do not trust the Election Commission !! Will the public believe such people!??”, the tweet read.
जिनको देश की आर्मी पे भरोसा नही, देश की न्यायपालिका पे भरोसा नही, चुनाव आयोग पे भरोसा नही!! क्या जनता ऐसे लोगों पे विश्वास करेगी!??
— Sachchu (@Sachchu63927342) March 8, 2022
Yet another user mocked Yogesh Verma and the SP for executing the ‘drama’. “Keep an eye on them for 25 hours to know whether they are doing gimmicks or are worried. Later Akhilesh will have to tell”, the tweet read.
इनपे २५ घंटे नजर रखो ताकि पता पड़ सके की नौटंकी कर रहे हैं या सही में चिंता है। बाद में अखिलेश को बताना होगा।
— Indian (@Indianspeaks12) March 8, 2022
The Assembly Elections in Uttar Pradesh for 403 seats took place in seven phases from February 10 to March 7. The major political parties in the fray are BJP, SP, BSP, Congress and AAP. According to the reports, the exit polls predict that BJP will win the Uttar Pradesh elections with comfortable majority. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.
