New Delhi, January 24
The Election Commission today issued show-cause notices to Punjab Chief Minister and Congress candidate Amarinder Singh and Shiromani Akali Dal president Parkash Singh Badal for violating the Model Code of Conduct.
Taking cognisance of the report published in The Tribune, the three-member Election Commission today issued the notices to the two candidates for the
alleged violation the code while filing their nomination papers for the Assembly elections.
Sources in the poll panel said the two leaders had been asked to file replies by 3 pm tomorrow.
While Capt Amarinder Singh filed his nomination papers for the Patiala seat, Mr Badal is seeking a re-election for the third time in a row from the Lambi assembly constituency in Muktsar district.
The EC observed that both of them had flouted its directive. It said a large number of vehicles and party supporters accompanied Congress chief ministerial candidate when he went to the office of the Returning Officer to file his nomination, which is a violation of the code.
The SAD chief, apart from being accompanied by a large number of supporters and vehicles, also talked to the newspersons inside the office of the Returning Officer.
According the code and EC instructions, “the maximum number of vehicles that will be allowed to come within the periphery of 100 metres of the office of ROs /ROs shall be three and maximum number of persons that will be allowed to enter the office of ROs/ROs at the time of filing nomination shall be candidate plus number of proposers as prescribed by law plus four other individuals.
Issuing the notices to the two leaders, the Commission asked why action should not be taken against them.The setback to the two chief ministerial aspirants comes amidst the first poll projections carried out by the Centre for the Society of Developing Societies that the Congress had a five point lead over its rival SAD-BJP combine less than three weeks before the Assembly elections in Punjab.
