Congress accuses BJP of violating model code of conduct in Karnataka
New Delhi:
The Congress has complained to the Election Commission of alleged deficiencies in the enforcement of election rules and identification of violations in Karnataka and Punjab.
A group of Congress leaders, including Salman Khurshid and Pratap Bajwa, met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajeev Kumar and told him about the non-clearance of some of the party’s advertisements in Karnataka, which will go to polls next month, and in Karnataka The ruling BJP is issuing tenders. 1,600 crore just 48 hours before the model code of conduct came into force.
The Congress delegation, which also included Nasir Hussain, Pranav Jha and Vineet Punia, told the CEC that the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer’s team consists of people who have been working there for six years, while the Election Commission’s guidelines say that The officers should be changed every three years to prevent favoritism. ,
The party said that a list of such officers has been given to the Election Commission, with a request to replace them.
The Election Commission has denied permission to the Congress to run some advertisements in Karnataka, with the party alleging that the move is unfair to them. The Congress said the BJP has launched a “vulnerable campaign” against the Congress in Karnataka “without stopping”.
“Yet the Congress is not being allowed to run advertisements which are comparatively meager,” the Congress delegation that met the CEC said in a statement.
The party alleged that the BJP government, which issued tenders just before the model code of conduct came into force, was “a direct and blatant attempt to influence the results of the state elections.” He has requested the Election Commission to look into the matter.
Regarding Punjab, the Congress delegation alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has transferred several bureaucrats who are loyal to the AAP and that the use of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s photographs in “Aam Aadmi Clinics” is against the model code of conduct. flagged as a violation. ,
Voting in Karnataka and Lok Sabha bypoll in Punjab’s Jalandhar on May 10; Counting of votes is after three days.