Rampur, Nov 30 (PTI) Free and fair elections were not held in Rampur earlier as Samajwadi Party "goons" used to occupy polling booths and police stations, but the BJP government established the rule of law here, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said.

After the BJP formed the government in the state under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's leadership, those "goons" have either landed in jail or have left Uttar Pradesh, he said, addressing voters on Tuesday ahead of the December 5 bypolls.

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The Rampur bypoll was necessitated as the seat fell vacant after Samajwadi Party MLA Azam Khan was convicted by an MP-MLA court in a 2019 hate speech case.

Pathak alleged that the opposition Samajwadi Party had transformed Rampur into a "hub of anarchy". The BJP wants to take the district to new heights of development, he added.

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"Earlier, elections were not held in Rampur as the goons of the SP were occupying polling booths and police stations. SP goons used to tear the uniforms of police personnel. After the BJP came to power, rule of law has been established in the state," Pathak said, urging the public to vote for BJP candidate Akash Saxena.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)