Show-cause notice to PDP chief over ‘use of child’ to seek votes

Rajouri/Jammu, May 5

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PDP president Mehbooba Mufti was on Sunday served a show cause notice, seeking an explanation for allegedly using a child to seek votes during campaigning for Lok Sabha polls in Rajouri district. Rajouri is part of Anantnag parliamentary constituency which is going to polls in the sixth phase on May 25.

Mehbooba, a former J&K Chief Minister, is among 20 candidates in the fray from the constituency. Additional District Magistrate, Rajouri and nodal officer for Model Code of Conduct, Rajeev Kumar Khajuria, issued the show cause notice to Mehbooba in connection with an election rally conducted by her in the Shahdara Sharief area of the district on May 1.

“A video has gone viral on the social media in which a minor female child is seen being used by you for political campaign/appeal to the public to vote for you (PDP) on the day of election and the same child being encouraged and appreciated by you after the culmination of her appeal,” Khajuria said in his letter to Mehbooba.

Citing the guidelines of the Election Commission and National Commission for Protection of Child rights, the officer asked the PDP leader to explain her position within 24 hours as to why an action under the provisions of ECI norms/guidelines should not be initiated or recommended against her for violation of MCC.

In case she fails to respond, Mehbooba will be booked and banned from conducting public meetings and rallies in Rajouri for the remainder of the general election, the letter warned her.