A man named Ramavtar was brutally beaten by supporters of the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district for voting for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The incident took place during the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha Elections on May 25.
Ramavtar sustained injuries on his face and recounted that he was attacked by SP workers because he pressed the ‘Lotus’ symbol on the electronic voting machine (EVM). He explained that an altercation with SP supporters occurred at the polling booth, after which he left the scene.
“Yadav started abusing me and questioned what benefit I would get by voting for the BJP,” Ramavtar said.
Speaking to the media, Ramavtar’s wife described receiving a call and rushing to the spot where she found her husband being severely beaten by Bhola Yadav and his two brothers. “I took him to the police station. They asked me to submit an application and get him treated soon,” she said.
Ramavtar reported that two people have been arrested in connection with the assault, while one attacker is still at large.
Six phases of the Lok Sabha Elections have concluded, with the final and seventh phase scheduled for June 1. The results will be announced on June 4. Uttar Pradesh, which sends the highest number of parliamentarians (80) to the lower house, is often considered a crucial state in determining the outcome of the general elections.