The BJP Saturday continued its combative stand against the Election Commission in the wake of the stand-off between the party and the poll panel over denial of permission for Narendra Modi’s rally in Varanasi city, citing the roadshows held by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

“The (Rahul Gandhi) roadshow is happening at a place where we were denied permission for holding a rally. This proves that there was no security reason and it was because of political reasons we were now allowed to hold the rally,” senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said, criticising denial of permission to Modi in the constituency from where he is contesting elections. “The EC has to live with the fact that whatever security reasons are there

in Beniabagh, only apply to the BJP and not to the other parties.”

“Rahul’s farewell roadshow is happening in the area where Modiji was not allowed to hold a rally. One more biased conduct of Varanasi RO,” tweeted BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

In an apparent attempt to pacify BJP over its charges of alleged partisan behaviour of Varanasi returning officer (RO), the Commission has deployed a special observer for Varanasi.

Meanwhile, in the backdrop of the EC deploying special election observers, BJP candidates have requested it to deploy special observers for counting in Lok Sabha constituencies of Rahul Gandhi (Amethi) and Mulayam Singh Yadav (Mainpuri).

In separate letters, BJP candidate from Amethi Smriti Irani and party candidate from Mainpuri S S Chauhan have requested Chief Election Commissioner to depute special observers for the counting day, voicing apprehensions against local administration.

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