Lucknow, March 8 : Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday alleged manhandling of EVMs and attempts to manipulate the poll results in Uttar Pradesh. Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party leader Arun Rajbhar shared a video on Facebook on Tuesday, where their party workers can be seen on a vehicle loaded with Electronic Voting Machines. Party workers can be heard raising slogans against the BJP government, questioning why the EVMs were being moved without informing political parties. Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav held a press conference and accused the state government of trying to manipulate the poll results. “In the last elections, there were 47 seats where the margin was less than 5,000 votes. What we have witnessed today in Banaras, one truck of EVM was caught, two trucks escaped. If the government was not trying to manipulate polls, why did the two vehicles escape?” Yadav questioned. “What was the reason that EVMs were being moved without security. EVMs cannot be moved without informing the candidate,” he said. Yadav also raised doubts on exit polls, which have said that BJP will come back to power in UP. “I did not want to comment on exit polls, but exit polls are trying to create perception that BJP is winning, so that even if they are cheating no one would realise. I urge our youth, our farmers, if we have voted it is also our responsibility to save our votes,” Yadav said appealing to party workers, youth and farmers to maintain vigil and ensure EVMs are not manipulated. “Uttar Pradesh polls are the last elections of democracy. After this a revolution like the freedom movement would have to be brought to change things,” he said. “I appeal to my party workers, and the honest citizens to come forward and save democracy. Our party workers should maintain vigil on how to keep EVMs safe till counting. This is a dangerous time for democracy. A party which has lost, is now trying to manipulate the result,” he said. “I urge, for the next three days, to be the guards of democracy and save EVMs”. “Instructions have been given that on seats where BJP is losing, counting should be slowed down and carried on till late in the night,” he alleged. Yadav also expressed mistrust towards the District Magistrate, and mentioned the incident of SBSP leader Om Prakash Rajbhar being misbehaved during filing of nominations in Varanasi. “I do not believe the DM, what is he compared to the Chief Minister? Why were the political parties not informed about movement of EVMs,” he said. The seven phase polls in Uttar Pradesh concluded on March 7. Results will be declared on March 10. AO RJ