Lucknow: Yogesh Verma, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) MLA of the Lakhimpur Kheri constituency of Uttar Pradesh, was slapped by another BJP worker and advocate on Wednesday, October 09.
The incident, which was shot on camera went viral on social media, drawing varied reactions from the netizens. The advocate, who slapped the MLA on video is identified as Awadesh Singh, the president of the local bar association and a BJP activist.
Awadesh Singh is seen in the video, walking up towards the MLA in a seemingly heated environment, with many senior police officers near the MLA. While a police officer tried to stop Awadesh from attacking the MLA, the advocate managed to slap Yogesh Verma. The situation escalated when the spectating supporters of the MLA, attacked the advocate and some of the supporters of the advocate attacked the MLA.
The police eventually restored the order and ‘settled the issue between the MLA’s group and the bar association president and his supporters.
The incident follows a controversy related to the elections of a local urban cooperative bank. The MLA and the district BJP president Sunil Singh reportedly had written letters requesting the elections to be postponed. There have been allegations of tampering with the voters’ list, with 12,000 shareholders reportedly eligible to vote.
Tension has been brewing between the MLA’s faction and the bar association president’s factions, with the incident of the attack on MLA happening on the day of filing the nominations. Awadesh Singh’s wife Pushpa Singh, a former chairperson at the bank was also contesting, and members from MLA Verma’s group is also contesting for the position.
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