Patna: The Jan Suraaj Party has claimed that the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar has assured it that Jivika Didis, Anganwadi workers and other non-government or semi-government personnel will not be deployed in the conduct of the Bankipur Assembly by-election, following objections raised by the party.
Addressing a press conference in Patna on Monday, Jan Suraaj state president Manoj Bharti said the assurance was given during a meeting between the party delegation and the Chief Electoral Officer on Sunday.
Party Raises Objections Over Poll Deployment
Bharti said the party had objected to the alleged deployment of personnel such as Jivika Didis and Anganwadi workers in the election process, arguing that they should not be involved in poll-related duties.
According to Bharti, the Chief Electoral Officer informed the delegation that a directive had already been issued to the Patna District Magistrate to ensure that no non-government or semi-government employees were deputed for the by-election.
He added that another Jan Suraaj delegation was scheduled to meet the District Magistrate on Monday.
Allegations Of Model Code Violations
Bharti also alleged that a large number of BJP leaders, including Members of Parliament, MLAs and former legislators, were present in the Bankipur constituency along with their official security personnel.
He claimed that the use of government vehicles, security arrangements and public resources during the campaign amounted to violations of the Model Code of Conduct.
According to Bharti, the party had urged the Election Commission to take note of these alleged violations.
The BJP and the Election Commission had not publicly responded to these specific allegations at the time of writing.
Jan Suraaj Cites Earlier Memorandum
Jan Suraaj national spokesperson Kumar Saurabh said the party had earlier submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission highlighting its concerns over the by-election.
He said Prashant Kishor, the party’s Bankipur candidate, had raised the issue at a press conference on Sunday and issued a 24-hour ultimatum, warning that the party would stage a sit-in protest outside the Election Commission’s office if its concerns were not addressed.
According to Saurabh, the Chief Electoral Officer later assured the party that non-government and semi-government personnel would not be deployed, directly or indirectly, for the Bankipur by-election.
Party leaders Rambali Chandravanshi, the Bankipur Assembly in-charge, and former MLA Kishore Kumar Munna were also present at the press conference.
