Appointment of Indore city BJP president Shankar lalwani and his subsequent joining on the coveted post allegedly after the enforcement of election code of conduct in Madhya Pradesh by the Election of India on Friday has apparently caused an embarrassment to the State Government with the Congress party lodging a complaint in this regard before the Election Commission.
Taking cognisance to the complaint related to the violation of the election code of conduct by the BJP Government, the Election Commission has asked Indore Collector to submit a detailed report in this regard. Collector Akash Tripathi talking to the media here on Saturday confirmed that after getting directives from the Election Commission he had gone into the details as to when the official communication related to appointment of lalwani and other party leaders on the IDA board of directors was received by the IDA and what role the IDA CEO Deepak Singh played to enable lalwani to assume the charge of the IDA chairman and whether lalwani assu med the charge of IDA chairman after enforcement of the election code of conduct in Madhya Pradesh. Tripathi said he had already sent his report to the Election Commission after a thorough inquiry into the matter at his own level.
The model code of conduct was enforced in Madhya Pradesh and other four States soon after declaration of the schedule of the Assembly elections by the Chief Election Commission in New Delhi at 4.30 pm on Friday. However, according to reliable sources in the IDA, a Government fax related to appointment of Shankar lalwani as IDA chairman and appointment of other BJP leaders on the posts of IDA vice-chairmen and executive members of the IDA board of directors was received in IDA allegedly after 5.30 pm.
After receiving fax message from Bhopal, lalwani and other BJP leaders resumed their charge at around 7 pm, about 2-and-half-hours after the enforcement of the election code of conduct. The swearing-in ceremony was also captured by the mediapersons and their photographers which categorically showed the time when the charge was taken.
Though Shankar lalwani, when asked by the mediapersons about the violation of election code of conduct by him, claimed to have assumed office at 3 pm on Friday. Meanwhile, role of IDA CEO Deepak Singh has also come under scanner as sources informed that the IDA CEO in a hush-hush manner allegedly handed over the charge of IDA chairman to lalwani and did not give any prior information about lalwani's joining to both the District Collector Akash Tripathi and the Divisional Commissioner Sanjay Dube.