The Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president has written to the State Election Commission demanding an inquiry into the “crores of rupees” spent by the Bharatiya Janata Party on its election campaign for the Vidhan Sabha 2017 election in Uttarakhand. The letter was submitted by a delegation of the PCC office-bearers on behalf of the Congress state chief.
PCC president Kishore Upadhyay stated in the letter the front page advertisements published in newspapers from the start of campaign to polling by the BJP amounted to crores of rupees. The letter states, “During the election campaign there was hardly any news or entertainment channel viewed in Uttarakhand which did not have the BJP’s election advertisements running during the prime time. The BJP spnet hundreds of crores in rupees on the advertisements issued through the electronic media. The BJP consistently also gave out election advertisements on various governmental and non governmental mobile apps.
The election model code of conduct of openly violated by the BJP putting up large hoardings at 2,000 sites across the state. Despite the objections raised by the Congress party, the BJP displayed the picture of prime minister Narendra Modi with information on central government schemes at all the petrol pumps in the state. Despite complaint being made, these advertisements were neither removed from any petrol pump nor were they properly covered.
At many places, the money and illegal liquor of the BJP candidates was seized at various places. Not only this, the chief minister Harish Rawat’s helicopter was checked not once but many times but the helicopters used by the prime minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president Amit Shah and any of the central ministers were not checked even once which is a substantial evidence for our complaint.This makes it appear as if the BJP has banked on the Central Government and used money power in an improper manner to influence the voters in the state of Uttarakhand,” states the PCC chief in his letter to the state CEO. The Congress has requested the commission to conduct an inquiry into the above mentioned “facts” and against the BJP leaders and candidates under the provisions of the election model code of conduct.
The delegation which submitted the PCC chief’s letter comprised the PCC chief programme coordinator Rajendra Shah, general secretary Yaqub Siddiqui and other party members.