New Delhi, Apr 10 : The Election Commission has taken cognisance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks asking first time voters to dedicate their vote to those who carried out the Balakot airstrike, and sought a report from Maharashtra poll officials.
The report has been sought from Chief Electoral Officer in Maharasthra in the context of Commission’s advisory asking political parties and candidates to refrain from using the activities of Defence forces in poll campaign, sources in the poll panel said.
The poll panel also asked the CEO to submit the report at the earliest, sources said.
Addressing a rally in Mahrashtra’s Latur on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said, ‘ I want to ask my first-time voters, can your first vote be dedicated to the jawans who conducted the Balakot air strikes? Can your first vote be in the name of the martyrs who lost their lives in Pulwama?”
The opposition, including Congress and the CPI(M) condemned the remarks and had requested the poll body to take action, citing violation of Model Code of Conduct.
Talking to reporters, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal had said, ‘We have given many complaints to Election Commission but it is not taking action and we don’t have the time to go to court since there is hardly any time.”
In a complaint to the Commission, CPI(M) also had pointed out the violation of poll body’s direction asking to refrain from invoking the armed forces for seeking votes.
“We urge you to strongly initiate appropriate action to stop the pre-election atmosphere from being vitiated which is fast degenerating towards polarisation based on identity and assertion of national symbol for partisan electoral interests”, Nilotpal Basu, politburo member of CPI(M), said in the complaint.
UNI.
