The by-poll in the Bada Malhera Assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh turned violent when a group of people pelted stones at Bharatiya Janshakti Party leader Uma Bharati’s cavalcade. Trouble started when Uma’s party workers alleged that the district administration was misbehaving with them. Following the complaint, Uma got into a scuffle with the Bhopal police superintendent and the district collector.
The situation took an ugly turn when Bharati's car was allegedly attacked by BJP supporters at a polling booth in Bada Malhera.
The by-poll was necessitated after Uma Bharati, being denied the post of the chief minister by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), resigned and formed her own Bharatiya Janshakti Party (BJSP).
When she reached a polling booth in Shahrora village to protest against the alleged bogus voting there, some people started throwing stones at her.
"As soon as the BJSP workers held a demonstration outside the polling booth, more than a dozen people armed with canes attacked them and smashed their vehicles. Umaji had to run for cover and take shelter in a temple to save her life," said BJSP leader Bhagwan Das Sabnani.
The attackers ransacked at least 15 vehicles, though there were no reports of any injuries.
Sabnani accused the ruling BJP of throwing all democratic norms to the wind and demanded immediate dismissal of the government.
Hundreds of BJSP workers later gathered at Bhopal's main Roshanpura Square, where they would sit on a strike.
The BJSP announced plans to hold a protest sit-in in state capital Bhopal to demand an apology from Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The BJP, on the other hand, alleged that Uma Bharati had slapped one Shankar Pratap Singh alias Halke Raja outside the polling booth and this infuriated the village people.
Source: CNN IBN
(With inputs from IANS)
The situation took an ugly turn when Bharati's car was allegedly attacked by BJP supporters at a polling booth in Bada Malhera.
The by-poll was necessitated after Uma Bharati, being denied the post of the chief minister by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), resigned and formed her own Bharatiya Janshakti Party (BJSP).
When she reached a polling booth in Shahrora village to protest against the alleged bogus voting there, some people started throwing stones at her.
"As soon as the BJSP workers held a demonstration outside the polling booth, more than a dozen people armed with canes attacked them and smashed their vehicles. Umaji had to run for cover and take shelter in a temple to save her life," said BJSP leader Bhagwan Das Sabnani.
The attackers ransacked at least 15 vehicles, though there were no reports of any injuries.
Sabnani accused the ruling BJP of throwing all democratic norms to the wind and demanded immediate dismissal of the government.
Hundreds of BJSP workers later gathered at Bhopal's main Roshanpura Square, where they would sit on a strike.
The BJSP announced plans to hold a protest sit-in in state capital Bhopal to demand an apology from Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The BJP, on the other hand, alleged that Uma Bharati had slapped one Shankar Pratap Singh alias Halke Raja outside the polling booth and this infuriated the village people.
Source: CNN IBN
(With inputs from IANS)
