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EC orders UP govt to cancel BSP MLAs's appointments to state corporations

The Election Commission has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to immediately revoke the appointment of four Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs as chairmen of state corporations, and another to the State Planning Commission.

''The action of the UP government in appointing the MLAs not only seeks to unfairly influence the voters by holding out largesse, but also seeks to influence the elected representatives of another party during the election,'' the Commission said in its order.

EC Secretary Babu Ram said the UP government had on January 15 appointed the legislators to the Social Welfare Corporation, Agricultural Development Corporation, SC-ST Corporation and Agro Corporation. Another BSP MLA was made the the SPC vice-chairman.

The EC had immediately called for a report from the state government, which it received on Friday.

The appointments of the opposition legislators, the report showed, were effected after 13 MLAs had crossed over to constitute the political executive in the state. The status of the 13 BSP legislators and the applicability of the anti-defection law was before the assembly speaker and the court.

''In such a scenario, the Commission feels that it is unnecessary to spell out its perception of what could be behind the intention to extend the chairmanship of the corporations and vice-chairmanship of the State Planning Commission to five more MLAs of the same party,'' an EC press note said.

UNI

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