Mayawati flays EC for removal of her favourites from Jaunpur

Raising loud objections against the removal of Jaunpur assistant superintendent of police, circle officer and station officer by the commission in a midnight move, Mayawati told a a hurriedly convened press conference in Lucknow on Tuesday morning, "The Election Commission is behaving in a partisan manner and the commissioners Naveen chawla and S Y Quraishi were particularly acting like agents of the Congress and the Samajwadi Party."

Holding a brief for the three low level cops, Mayawati argued, "Their removal was not only totally unjustified but uncalled for; it would have a demoralising effect on the police force engaged with all their devotion to ensuring a free and fair poll in the state."

The state police have left no stone unturned to dub the murder of the Indian Justice Party candidate as "suicide" because the ruling Bahujan Samaja Party nominee Dhananjay Singh's alleged involvement in the killing. A dreaded mafia don-turned-politician, Dhananjay Singh's name spells terror in the area.

Sonkar's body was found hanging from a 15 feet high branch of a tree, barely 500 metres from his house in Jaunpur.

Using the earlier feud between former CEC N Gopalswamt and his then prospective successor Naveen chawla as her weapon, she said, "Now it appears to me that the allegation levelled by the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) against Chawla were correct. I can see how he is working like a Congress agent."

The BSP chief was particularly pointing towards Quraishi, whom she accused of "repeatedly messing up with the UP's poll process."

She said, "I am aware that Quraishi has local connections and he also has some nexus with both the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, who he is trying to help."

Apparently forgetting that she had herself praised the EC for its impartial and stern handling of the 2007 state assembly election that propelled her to power for the fourth time, that too entirely on her own strength, Mayawati went a step further.

"My party was at the receiving end during the 2007 state assembly election too, when the EC continued to needle us", she alleged.

Earlier this month, the UP CM reacted very sharply when the EC ordered shifting of state Principal Home Secretary Kunwar Fateh Bahadur, who was believed to be enjoying close proximity to her party.