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Mulayam blames Election Commission for downfall

Special Correspondent

"Steps taken by poll body deterred voters from casting votes"

END OF THE ROAD: U.P. Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav handing over his resignation to Governor T.V. Rajeshwar after it became evident from poll results that his party was not going to form the government in Lucknow on Friday.

LUCKNOW: Outgoing Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh on Friday accused the Election Commission of plotting his party's defeat in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The Samajwadi Party has emerged as the second largest party in the State after the Bahujan Samaj Party.

The measures adopted by the Election Commission had deterred many Samajwadi voters from casting their votes, Mr. Mulayam Singh told reporters after submitting his resignation to the State Governor, T. V. Rajeswar, on Friday afternoon. Many names were missing from the voters' lists as a result of which the Samajwadi Party supporters could not exercise their franchise, he said.

The damage inflicted on his party by the Election Commission had caused huge losses to him, charged the outgoing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

The poll panel's role was not a happy sign for democracy, he added.

Mr. Mulayam Singh appealed to the other parties "to arrive at a consensus for curbing the Election Commission's influence". A strategy would have to be formulated, he said.

Reflecting on his party's loss, Mr. Singh said henceforth it would be the Samajwadi Party versus the Bahujan Samaj Party in UP as the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress had been virtually sidelined.

On his future strategy, he said he would go to the people and initiate measures to strengthen the party organisation.

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Mulayam blames Election Commission for downfall

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