Uttar Pradesh bypolls: Clash breaks out between two parties during Meerapur voting

Muzaffarnagar: A clash broke out between two parties during the Meerapur assembly by-polls in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district, police said on Wednesday.
As per the police, the clash broke out near village Kakaroli under police station Kakaroli.
Muzaffarnagar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Abhishek Singh said that peace has been restored and voting is proceeding in a free and fair manner.
"During the Meerapur assembly by-election, there was a clash between two parties near village Kakaroli of police station area Kakaroli. Police reached the spot immediately and removed everyone using force. Peace is maintained at the spot and voting is going on in a free and fair manner," the SSP said.
Samajwadi Party, on its official social media handle X, alleged that the police are "misbehaving" with voters in the Meerapur constituency.
"They are being stopped from casting their votes, voting is getting affected. Police is misbehaving with voters and using lathis on women at booth number 318 of Mirapur assembly constituency in Muzaffarnagar. Election Commission should take cognizance and ensure fair voting," the SP said on X.
Voting began early this morning for by-elections in 15 Assembly seats across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttarakhand.
Nine seats in Uttar Pradesh--Meerapur, Kundarki, Ghaziabad, Khair, Karhal, Sishamau, Phulpur, Katehari, and Majhawan--are up for by-polls.
The by-elections in Uttar Pradesh are significant for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which suffered a major setback in the state, winning only 36 out of 80 seats in the last general elections.
Earlier today, targeting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his "batenge to katenge" slogan, Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav said that If the CM of a state thinks that they can win elections by speaking such things, then he didn't learn any lesson from Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking to ANI, Yadav also exuded confidence that trends will be in the favour of Samajwadi Party.