The nomination process for the block panchayat chief elections in Uttar Pradesh was marred on July 8 with reports of large-scale violence, firing & allegations of nomination papers being snatched from several districts of the state. Opposition parties, the Samajwadi Party (SP) & Congress, accused the ruling party of indulging in violence and misusing official machinery. However, the BJP denied the charge & claimed to have won at least 276 of the 825 block pramukh posts unopposed. Additional Director General (Law & Order) Prashant Kumar told The Indian Express that violence was reported from several districts, including Sitapur, Bahraich, Unnao, Kannauj, Jaunpur, Etah, Basti & Sidharthnagar. A Samajwadi Party worker was manhandled and her sari yanked by two men from a rival party in a disturbing video. The woman was a proposer for a Samajwadi Party candidate in block panchayat polls and was trying to enter a nomination centre when she was attacked by rival party men. Samajwadi chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the attackers were BJP workers and, sharing the video in a tweet, called them "power hungry goons of Yogi Adityanath (Chief Minister).” Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also posted a video of the violence along with a comment targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath. Watch the video to know more.