It was perhaps the first time in Uttar Pradesh that some political workers have claimed that they had paid for their nomination as candidates in the panchayat elections, which concluded last month.

Around 40 Samajwadi Party workers staged a dharna on Monday in front of the party office in Deoria demanding their money back from Dilip Yadav, the organisation’s district president, after they didn’t get tickets.

Samajwadi member Ramashrya Gaud said: “The SP district president had taken Rs 22,000 from 117 members including me promising us panchayat poll tickets. We didn’t get the tickets and so we want our money back.”

Another protesting member Aftab Alam said: “The district president didn’t tell any of us that he is demanding money from all. He told us to remain silent. Later we came to know that he was playing with all of us. In a village, Rs 22,000 is a big amount. Many of us had borrowed money from elsewhere to stump up the amount. We asked Dilip to hold a meeting of the members at the district headquarters and return the money to us. But he refused to do so.”

Another party worker Hemlata Devi said: “We can move the police for action against the district president if our leaders don’t pay heed to our protest.”

Dilip admitted before the reporters that he had received money from party members but claimed that it was not in exchange for panchayat election ticket.

“The money was collected from them for the publication of Samajwadi Bulletin, a monthly magazine of the party. This amount covered the lifetime subscription of

the magazine for the members. I will soon give them the receipt of the collected amount.”