Lakhimpur Kheri, Jul 17 (IANS): Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is on a visit to Lakhimpur Kheri, on Saturday met the woman candidate of the Samajwadi Party who was allegedly molested during the block pramukh elections held recently in Uttar Pradesh. Priyanka Gandhi demanded that the panchayat polls where violence took place should be held again. She said she will write to the state election commission in this regard.

Priyanka Gandhi said women will become the head, block chief, MLA, MP, chief minister, even the prime minister by their sheer hard work and BJP 'goons' cannot stop them. "I will write to the State Election Commission for justice to all my sisters, citizens, victims of violence by BJP in Panchayat elections," she said.

Priyanka visited Semra village in Pathgava block of Lakhimpur Kheri district and met the victim and assured her of justice and said that she would write a letter to the Election Commission and demand cancellation of the block chief elections where violence took place. In a meeting of about 20 minutes, she also hugged the victim woman, who was allegedly attacked and misbehaved with when her sari was pulled in full public view in Lakhimpur Kheri during the local polls.

Targeting the UP government, Priyanka Gandhi said during the nomination of the block chief on July 8, when the woman candidate was misbehaved with, the police kept watching. She said that she demands that this election be cancelled and strict action should be taken against those who are guilty in this incident.

Questioning the violence in the UP Panchayat elections, Priyanka Gandhi said that Prime Minister Modi praised chief minister Yogi Adityanath for the victory in the Panchayat elections, but they do not see the truth here. Several videos of incidents of violence have surfaced. Two women were molested. The administration remained silent. "If this is not the murder of democracy, then what is it?" she questioned.

She said that the CO who tried to save the victim was suspended by the government. The rest of the officers who were present there did nothing.

Priyanka alleged that any person with 10 goons can create a ruckus and win elections. Is this democracy? Should this kind of democracy be practised in the country and the state? The tenets of democracy have been flouted openly and the Prime Minister is praising the performance of the Yogi government in the Panchayat elections. She insisted, "if this is what you intend to do, then why women's reservation?"

Congress state president Ajay Kumar Lallu, legislature party leader Aradhana Mishra Mona, former MP Zafar Ali Naqvi, senior leader Deepak, All India Congress general secretary Dheeraj Gurjar, District president Prahlad Patel and other Congress leaders and workers were also present.