Ballia (UP), Mar 16 (PTI) A case has been registered against 11 Samajwadi Party members and 60 other "unnamed" people for allegedly forcibly stopping government vehicles near the gate of a counting centre here on March 9, police said on Wednesday.

According to the in-charge of Ballia city Kotwali, Bal Mukund Mishra, the SP leaders and their supporters have been booked for offences of spreading hatred, obstructing government work, rioting and threatening.

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On March 9, a day before the counting of votes, SP leaders and their supporters had ''stopped and checked'' government vehicles near the gate of the counting centre, he said, adding that police are investigating the case.

The Samajwadi Party had alleged tampering with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), ahead of the counting of votes on March 10 to elect the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, and had asked its members to keep a vigil outside strong rooms and other places.

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The BJP retained power in the state, while the SP was a distant second.

(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)