Mainpuri (UP), 20 Nov

A 23-year-old Dalit woman was found dead here with her family on Wednesday alleging she was killed as she refused to vote in favour of the Samajwadi Party in the Karhal assembly bypoll.

Police in Mainpuri district on Wednesday arrested two people accused of abducting and killing the woman.

The woman's father lodged a complaint at Karhal police station levelling allegations against Prashant Yadav, a resident of Tapa ki Nagaria, of abducting his daughter. He alleged that his daughter was abducted around 12 pm on Tuesday and later poisoned to death by Yadav the help of another person named Dr. Mohan Katheria, according to the FIR.

The body of the woman was found in a field near Kanjara village on Wednesday morning, according to police. "Both the accused Dr. Mohan Katheria and Prashant Yadav named in FIR have been arrested and further investigation is in progress," Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar told PTI.

The issue snowballed into a political controversy with the BJP and the SP trading barbs. Raising concern over the incident, the BJP accused the SP of "creating an atmosphere of terror" in its bastion. "In Karhal, Samajwadi Party leader Prashant Yadav and his associates murdered a Dait girl just because she had refused to vote for the 'cycle' (SP's election symbol). In Mainpuri, the Saifai family and Akhilesh Yadav's goons are again trying to create an atmosphere of terror," the BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit posted on X and attached a video of the grieving father.

BJP state president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary also took to social media to slam the SP over the issue.

Meanwhile, SP president Akhilesh Yadav during a press conference in Lucknow alleged that the Election Commission was turning a blind eye and deaf ear to the complaints being raised by his party over BJP's alleged misuse of government machinery to tilt the bypolls in its favour. "This is a conspiracy to defame the Samajwadi Party by the BJP, which often engages in such activities. This has nothing to do with the SP," SP spokesperson Rajendra Choudhary told PTI.

Separately, the SP also cast aspersions on the police over its role in Karhal during the bypolls. "In Mainpuri's Karhal assembly constituency, Police Inspector Lalit Bhati is spreading fear in the name of patrolling with the force, which may affect voting. Election Commission should take cognizance and ensure fair voting," the SP posted on X in Hindi along with video of police patrolling.

In family bastion Karhal, SP's Tej Pratap Singh, a grandson of party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, is fighting the bypoll with a contest from his 'fufa' Anujesh Pratap Singh. The BSP has fielded Avanish Kumar Shakya.

The seat has a total seven candidates, including nominees of Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), Sarvjan Sukhay Party, Sarva Samaj Janata Party and one Independent.

The bypoll was necessitated after Akhilesh Yadav vacated the seat as its MLA upon being elected as the Lok Sabha MP from Kannauj parliamentary constituency earlier this year.