Lucknow, Sep 22 - Senior Congress leaders Tuesday urged Chief Election Commissioner Naveen Chawla to check and disallow 'misuse of official machinery' and 'silent booth capturing' by the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the forthcoming bye-elections in Uttar Pradesh.

A delegation of Congress leaders from Uttar Pradesh, led by former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and party general secretary Digvijay Singh called on Chawla earlier in the day in New Delhi. The delegation also included state Congress unit chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi, state legislature party chief Pramod Tiwari and general secretary Pervez Hashmi.

'The CEC was apprised of the blatant violation of election laws by the state government during the recently held bye-elections to four state assembly seats,' Joshi said.