Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to receive a clean chit from the Election Commission of India (ECI) in a complaint accusing him of violating the election code of conduct (MCC) during campaigning in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh on April 9. The complaint referred to Modi’s reference to the construction of the Ram Temple, the development of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, and the Union government’s action of bringing back copies of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book, from Afghanistan. However, the EC is likely to conclude that these three do not constitute an appeal to vote in the name of religion, according to a report. The EC has decided that these remarks do not violate the MCC, the report said. The poll panel is likely to dispose of the complaints filed by Supreme Court lawyer Anand S Jondale. The complainant had alleged that PM Modi violated the MCC by seeking votes for ‘his party in the name of Hindu deities and Hindu places of worship as well as Sikh deities and Sikh places of worship’ in his address at a public rally in Pilibhit on April 9. The EC is also analyzing a separate complaint against the PM for his remarks at a rally in Vadodara on April 21, where he said that the Congress, if voted to power, could distribute the nation’s wealth among ‘infiltrators’ and ‘those who have more children’. The poll panel will share its decision with Jondale soon. A plea in this case is expected to be heard by the Delhi High Court this week. Before approaching the court, Jandole had first written to the Commission on April 10, a day after Modi’s rally in Pilibhit. The Indian Express report quoted sources saying that the poll panel found no violation of the MCC, as it concluded that the PM was listing the achievements of his government at the Pilibhit rally.
PM Modi Likely to Receive Clean Chit in Election Code Violation Case
