Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday charged that the Election Commission was exceeding its jurisdiction and was responsible for the poor voter turnout in the first two phases of assembly elections in the state.
"The Election Commission is working beyond its jurisdiction and the poor voter turnout in the first two phases proved that the strictness has created terror among the electorate," Yadav, who addressed a series of election meetings in all eight constituencies, said.
He said the EC should work within its jurisdiction as it was not a 'parallel government.'
Yadav alleged that by posting UP police personnel outside the polling stations, the EC has shown that it had no faith in the state police while central paramilitary forces were harassing and terrorising voters. These reasons resulted in the much lower voting percentage, he said.
The Samajwadi Party president claimed that after Punjab, Bihar, Orissa and Delhi, Congress would be wiped out of Uttar Pradesh after the assembly elections. Yadav said his party will also fare well in the next Lok Sabha elections and promised to work for a prime minister from Karnataka.
Referring to Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, he said those who had heaped humiliation on Brahmins in their meetings were today organising meeting and conventions to woo them.