Cong moves EC over BJP’s ‘misleading’ ad

The Congress has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) against the BJP, accusing it of posting a “misleading” advertisement on social media that contained “false information” about INDIA bloc leaders as part of its campaign for the Jharkhand Assembly elections.

The Congress alleged the advertisement, shared on social media handles of the BJP’s Jharkhand unit, violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

It alleged leaders of the JMM, Congress and the RJD were shown in a “negative light” with the intent of propagating “false and baseless narratives” against them.

The complaint specifically referred to an advertisement posted on Facebook on November 9. The Congress claimed the advt was in blatant violation of the poll code and other electoral laws.

It said the BJP had tried to use actors resembling INDIA bloc leaders to level false allegations. One of the allegations is that these leaders are anti-tribals who have joined hands to serve their own personal agendas,” the complaint read.

Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, shared a copy of the four-page complaint on X. He wrote, “A complaint has been lodged with the EC over a BJP advertisement. It not only violates the model code of conduct, but is also an act of serious criminality. We hope the ECI will act immediately and pursue the matter to its logical conclusion.”