Congress claims SEC took cognisance of its complaint against Fadnavis
Mumbai (PTI): The Congress on Saturday claimed that the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has taken cognisance of its complaint alleging violation of the Model Code of Conduct by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
SEC sources said they had received a complaint from the Congress, but did not confirm if any action was taken on it.
According to the Congress, the complaint concerns an interview given by Fadnavis to a private television channel on January 2 while travelling on the Mumbai Metro.
State Congress general secretary Dhananjay Shinde said in a release the party had objected to the interview as it amounted to the “misuse of public transport facilities and violation of model code”.
Shinde said the Congress submitted a “final reminder” to the State Election Commissioner on January 9, highlighting “key issues, video evidence and relevant legal provisions” linked to the alleged model code violation.
After a preliminary scrutiny of the complaint and supporting material, the SEC has forwarded the matter to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for further action, he claimed. The Commission has informed BMC officials through an official email, a copy of which has also been sent to the complainant, said Shinde.
The Congress said the complaint raises “serious concerns”, including alleged use of public transport facilities such as the Mumbai Metro for election campaigning, possible misuse of government machinery, deployment of disproportionate security, and a promotional-style interview conducted in the presence of the media ahead of the January 15 civic polls.
“These issues directly affect the fairness of the election process, equal opportunity for all candidates and democratic values,” Shinde said.
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Karnataka bypolls: Over 60 per cent voter turnout in Bagalkot, Davanagere South till 5 pm
Bengaluru (PTI): Over 60 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm in both Assembly constituencies in Karnataka, where bypolls were held on Thursday.
While the turnout in Bagalkot was 65.68 per cent, it was 63.04 per cent in Davanagere South.
While the ruling Congress faces the challenge of retaining both seats, the BJP aims to wrest them and deliver a setback to its rival, which is currently witnessing an "internal power struggle" over leadership.
The bypolls were necessitated due to the demise of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti (Bagalkot) and Shamanur Shivashankarappa (Davanagere South).
A total of over 2.59 lakh eligible voters are expected to cast their votes at around 319 polling stations in Bagalkot, where nine candidates are in the fray.
In Davanagere South, over 2.31 lakh eligible voters are expected to vote across 284 polling stations, with 25 candidates contesting.
The BJP has fielded former MLA and 2023 defeated candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath from Bagalkot, and a fresh face, Srinivas T Dasakariyappa, from Davanagere South.
The Congress has given tickets to family members of the late legislators in both constituencies. Bagalkot candidate Umesh Meti is the son of H Y Meti, while Samarth Mallikarjun from Davanagere South is the grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
