Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate for Agra teachers’ constituency Akash Agarwal
Agarwal, the SP candidate for Agra teachers’ constituency, said it was his right to choose which party to contest elections for and which religion to follow. Agra police commissioner Deepak Kumar said he reached the spot after receiving a complaint and found the situation peaceful. “I assured senior SP leaders that all eligible voters would be allowed to vote freely and fairly,” he said.
He alleged that polling officials had harassed his supporters and that booth capturing had taken place in Chhata. In Kheragarh, he claimed, voters were asked to leave when the presiding officer took a meal break. Agra : Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Akash Agarwal broke down before the media on Friday, alleging polling irregularities and extreme harassment of his supporters during Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections.
Turnout in the Agra teachers’ constituency stood at 48.20%, while the graduate constituency recorded 32%, according to figures released at 2pm. In Agra district, the figures were 37.20% and 28.40%, respectively. Polling was held for 11 Uttar Pradesh legislative council seats — five graduate and six teachers’ constituencies — across the state.
The elections choose members of the state legislative council, the upper house of Uttar Pradesh legislature. Graduate constituencies represent registered graduate voters, while teachers’ constituencies represent eligible teachers. These elections are reserved for specific professional and educational groups so they have dedicated representation in state policy-making.