New Delhi, March 9: The Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav should be put behind the bars for spreading rumours that the Uttar Pradesh government is stealing Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), demanded the BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harnath Singh Yadav on Wednesday.

Speaking to ANI, Harnath Singh Yadav said, "According to the Indian Penal Code, (IPC) spreading rumors, misleading the public, giving wrong information, come under the category of serious offences and Akhilesh Yadav is committing such crimes indiscriminately." Assembly Elections 2022 Results Date And Time: Know When And Where to Watch Live Streaming And Updates on Counting of Votes For UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa Polls.

"I will demand from the Election Commission to register a case against Akhilesh Yadav for spreading rumors and he should be put behind the bar," Yadav said.

Launching a scathing attack on Akhilesh Yadav, he said, "It is strange to hear about democracy from his mouth because he had trampled all the democratic values, ideals, principles of democracy during his five years of rule in Uttar Pradesh. The entire state was made hell and was in the grip of mafia, and goons."

Also Read | Chhattisgarh Budget 2022-23: CM Bhupesh Baghel Announces Old Pension Scheme for Government Employees.

Further, he said that the state government fund was looted and rules and regulations were flouted during SP's tenure.

The SP chief on Tuesday alleged attempts of "tampering with electronic voting machines", saying the BJP was scared as his party was winning the Ayodhya Assembly seat. He also claimed that a truck carrying voting machines was caught in Varanasi.

"Exit polls want to create a perception that the BJP is winning. This is the last fight for democracy. The EVM is being transported without being informed to candidates. We need to be alert if EVMs are being transported this way. This is theft. We need to save our votes. We may go to court against it but before that, I want to appeal to people to save the democracy," SP chief said.

The exit polls have predicted the BJP getting a comfortable majority in the state. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)