LUCKNOW, Sept. 27 -- Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for defending the Election Commission (EC), alleging that it was involved in "vote theft" and electoral irregularities.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, Yadav urged the EC to save its credibility and not work at the "behest" of any political party.

He claimed that the SP had repeatedly lodged complaints with the Election Commission over "vote theft" and electoral malpractices, but no action was taken. "There were large-scale irregularities in the Rampur by-election and subsequent bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, where voters were prevented from exercising their franchise, names were deleted, and ...