With the BJP promoting claims of profitable all seats in higher Assam, the Congress on Sunday stated it’s in violation of the Representation of the People Act and urged the Election Commission to register FIRs towards BJP chief J P Nadda and Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. In a criticism to the Election Commission (EC), Congress leaders Randeep Surjewala, Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik sought instructions and motion towards prime BJP leaders for giving commercials in newspapers claiming victory in all higher Assam seats.
They stated such commercials are in clear violation of the instructions given by the EC that nobody could make predictions of the outcomes throughout the prohibited interval. “We pray to the EC to take all such actions as may be necessary and required in law, including direction for registration of offences against Sarbananda Sonowal, J P Nadda and Ranjit Kumar Dass for the blatant violation of Model Code of Conduct and the RP Act, 1951,” the Congress acknowledged.
The social gathering additionally demanded motion towards the media publishing such commercials. Assam goes to polls in three phases and the primary part of polling was held on March 27.
“The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), after realising that their defeat is inevitable, has resorted to desperate illegal and unconstitutional methods to influence voters across the state,” the Congress stated in a memorandum to the ballot physique. The Congress leaders alleged that in a “pre-planned conspiracy and in order to defraud the voters of Assam, Sonowal, Nadda, Assam BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass and other BJP members and functionaries “willfully and knowingly have today issued advertisements camouflaged as political predictions as headlines on front page, in various newspapers throughout Assam.
They said through such ads, the BJP leaders have disseminated “false/untrue outcome of the results” of the primary part of voting in Assam and have “falsely claimed that BJP will win all constituencies of upper Assam”. Surjewala advised reporters that the commercials have been introduced in a way on the entrance web page of each newspaper “to prejudice the minds of the voters of Assam”.
“The advertisements have been presented in a manner so as to look like a ‘newspaper headline’. This deliberate, malicious and malafide set of advertisements are in clear violation of Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which is punishable up to two years of imprisonment and fine,” he stated. “These desperate acts of the BJP have been carried out with malice to soil the fairness of the electoral process, to save their sinking ship and gain undue advantage in the Assembly elections of Assam. It should be dealt with by the ECI with the strongest possible action under law,” he added.
The Congress chief asserted that the ballot physique is remitted to safeguard the voters’ democratic and basic proper to vote freely and with out undue affect. “We request the Election Commission to exercise its power under Article 324 of the Constitution of India to preserve the doctrine of free and fair elections and register FIRs against the persons mentioned. We also urge the Commission to direct all news publication and channels to desist from abetting the crime being committed by BJP leaders as also to adhere to and follow the EC instructions of March 26,” he stated.
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