Assam Assembly elections: Election Commission’s notice to eight newspaper editors on BJP’s advertisement
From Bhupen Goswami
GUWAHATI : The Election Commission has issued notices to the editors of eight newspapers in Assam for printing bjp advertisements in the draft news. It claimed that the BJP would win all the 47 seats where polling was held in the first phase on Saturday. This information was given by the officers. It claimed that the BJP would win all the 47 seats where polling was held in the first phase on Saturday. Officials said, notices were sent to editors of eight newspapers following a complaint from the Congress.
In the complaint, the Congress had alleged that the advertisement was violative of the election Commission’s directives, the Model Code of Conduct and the Public Representatives Act 1951. In the notices, Assam Chief Electoral Officer Nitin Standing asked the newspapers to send reports by 7 p.m. Monday evening in which their position has been clarified. Officials said, the newspapers have submitted their reports which have been sent to the Election Commission of India. Earlier, the Assam Unit of Congress gave a complaint against Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, BJP national president J P Nadda, state BJP chief Ranjit Kumar Das and eight prominent newspapers. Those who allegedly “featured advertisements in the format of the news” and claimed that the party would win all the seats that were voted on March 27.
The complaint was lodged at Dispur police station on Sunday night. Niran Bora, chairman of the legal unit of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, said, “This is a flagrant violation of the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct, representation of people Act, 1951 by BJP leaders and the guidelines of the Election Commission and the media conduct issued by the Commission. He said the BJP leaders are feeling that they are losing elections, so they are adopting illegal and unconstitutional methods to influence voters. “The advertisements were given on the newspaper homepage to influence the minds of voters and this is a deliberate, deliberate violation of section 126A of the Malicious Advertising Representation of the People Act, 1951, which is punishable with imprisonment of two years and fine,” Bora said. The State Congress has given a complaint to the Election Commission by the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam and the All India Congress Committee against the publication of advertisements. It urged immediate action against the BJP and the newspapers.
