EC refuses to comment on Mayawati's favouritism allegation

New Delhi, April 8 (IANS) The Election Commission Wednesday refused to comment on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's allegations that the poll panel was biased towards opposition parties in the state.

'We don't wish to offer any comment on this (Mayawati's allegations),' Deputy Election Commissioner R. Balakrishnan told reporters here.

Earlier in the day, Mayawati accused the Election Commission of being biased towards opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh. She was reacting to the poll panel's Tuesday order to remove the state's principal home secretary.

'Removal of the state's principal home secretary Fateh Bahadur was arbitrary and has apparently been done simply on the basis of flimsy, false and one-sided complaints made by some opposition parties,' Mayawati told reporters.

'The least that the Election Commission should have done is to authenticate these complaints before ordering such a drastic step,' she said.

On a complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Maneka Gandhi against Railways Minister Lalu Yadav for making remarks on her son Varun Gandhi, Balakrishnan said chief electoral officer of Uttar Pradesh was sending a report to the Election Commission.

'The CEO has confirmed that a complaint has been received by the superintendent of police in Badaun. He is in the process of sending a report to the commission,' Balakrishnan said.

Balakrishnan also said the commission had received reply of Home Minister P. Chidambaram and BJP leader Jaswant Singh. But he refused to divulge any details.

The commission had given Chidambaram notice for allegedly offering poll sops in Rajasthan during a security review meeting last month.

Jaswant Singh has been asked to explain why action should not be taken against him for distributing money to a woman voter during an election meeting in Rajasthan.