Telangana election officials have asked the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) commissioner and district election officer to initiate action on a complaint relating to violation of model code of conduct by BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao.
Additional Chief Electoral Officer Lokesh Kumar gave the orders in response to a directive from the Election Commission of India in this direction. ECI principal secretary Avinash Kumar addressed a letter to the CEO’s office based on a complaint from TPCC senior vice-president G. Niranjan.
Mr. Niranjan alleged that the BRS working president violated the MCC provisions by declaring that he had cast his vote in favour of the party which helped create Telangana. He had appealed to people to vote the same way, in violation of secrecy of voting, said Mr. Niranjan in a complaint to the ECI and asked the Commission to take action in this regard and invalidate Mr. Rama Rao’s vote.
Mr. Niranjan had also lodged a separate complaint against violation of MCC provisions by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “It seems Prime Minister Modi is habituated to violating the directions of the Election Commission and feels happy and proud for violating the MCC,” he said.
The senior Congress leader cited how Mr. Modi violated the MCC provisions involving children in election-related programmes which was restricted by the ECI. He cited incidents of Mr. Modi allegedly breaching the election code at Lakshmipuram on his way to address a public meeting at Warangal as also in the Narayanpet public meeting where he made a mention of the children who attended it, something that was tantamount to influencing voters.
The senior Congress leader sought appropriate action in this direction and the ECI referred the complaints to the officials concerned in the CEO’s office.
Published - May 21, 2024 02:53 am IST
