The confrontation between workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh escalated into a violent clash outside the Rama Bai Ambedkar booth, where the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections was taking place. The incident, which occurred amidst scorching heat, resulted in several individuals sustaining serious injuries. A video capturing the altercation quickly went viral on social media, showing members of both parties engaging in physical violence.
Eyewitnesses reported that what started as a verbal argument between the two sides quickly turned into kicking and hitting. The intensity of the clash was such that one worker from the Samajwadi Party suffered severe head injuries. Prompt action was taken by the police, who arrived at the scene and intervened, separating the two groups. To prevent any further untoward incidents, officers were stationed outside the polling station.
The state of Uttar Pradesh is currently witnessing a fierce electoral contest between the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition-backed INDIA bloc. According to trends on the Election Commission website, the INDIA bloc is leading in 44 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, while the NDA is leading in 35. The Samajwadi Party and Congress are leading in 37 and 7 seats, respectively. The BJP, along with its allies Rashtriya Lok Dal and Apna Dal, is leading in a total of 33 seats.
Several notable leaders have secured comfortable leads over their opponents in the ongoing elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading in Varanasi, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in Lucknow, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple Yadav in Kannauj and Mainpuri, and Congress candidates Rahul Gandhi and Kishori Lal Sharma in Rae Bareli and Amethi. Hema Malini of the BJP is leading in Mathura, while Arun Govil is trailing in Meerut. Senior BJP leaders Smriti Irani, Ajay Mishra Teni, and Maneka Gandhi are also actively participating in the elections.
