There has been a fake Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidates list released last week in which one has been detained.
The list had been shared on social media on Monday evening which was immediately dismissed by the party as 'fake'. The list soon went viral forcing the BSP to issue a clarification.
The fake list had names of BSP leaders on 38 seats, including Mayawati, to contest from Saharanpur seat.
Earlier it was reported that Ms Mayawati would be releasing the candidates list of the BSP on her birthday which was put on hold following the controversy.
Police said investigation was in progress. However, it refused to reveal the identity of the detained person.
The fake list was sent out in the name of BSP chief Mayawati and had the signature of party state president RS Kushwaha. Printed on a BSP letter pad, and dated January 13, 2019, the list looked real.
To contain the fuelling rumour, Mr Kushwaha issued a clarification and blamed the opposition parties for giving rise to such fake stories. He claimed that opposition is feeling the heat due to the SP-BSP alliance hence circulating such messages on social media.
The BSP filed an FIR in connection with the case at the Gautam Palli Police Station in Lucknow. The police have registered a case under Sections 419,468,469,470 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and started investigating the matter.
Mr Kushwaha said that circulating fake messages and using someone's signature is a criminal offence and warned of action against the culprits.
The SP-BSP, as per the alliance announced by Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav, will contest the Lok Sabha polls on 38 seats each in Uttar Pradesh.
Two of the 80 seats have been allotted for smaller alliance partners. Though the two parties have ditched the Congress, Akhilesh and Mayawati said that they will not field any candidate in Gandhi bastions Amethi and Raebareli.