LUCKNOW:

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Uttar Pradesh has officially removed cricketer Rinku Singh from his role as the state icon of the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) program. The decision, approved by the Election Commission of India (ECI), was communicated to the Aligarh district election officer (DEO), citing concerns over political neutrality.The CEO UP Office wrote to Aligarh DEO, that all the promotional content such as posters, videos, media and other medium featuring Rinku Singh should be removed with immediate effect.Official source said, “Rinku Singh, who was previously featured in various voter awareness campaigns, has been dropped following his engagement to Samajwadi Party Member of Parliament Priya Saroj. The ECI believes that Rinku’s personal association with an active political figure could compromise the impartiality of the SVEEP initiative and it’s also against the rules. Therefore, all promotional materials—including posters, banners, videos, and digital content featuring Rinku are being removed.”Rinku and Priya’s engagement ceremony took place on June 8 at in Lucknow and was attended by prominent political figures including SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, Shivpal Yadav, and Jaya Bachchan, along with over 20 MPs.In its letter to Aligarh DEO, the ECI emphasized that fairness and neutrality are paramount in public campaigns.“ECI acknowledges Rinku’s stature as a renowned sports figure, however his personal ties to a political leader could be perceived as partisan in public, thereby affecting the credibility of the voter awareness drive,” added source.The decision has sparked mixed reactions on social media. While some users criticized it as overly cautious, others supported the move, arguing that public campaigns must remain free from political influence. No official statement has been issued by either Rinku Singh or Priya Saroj regarding the matter.