Opposition Congress termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s squat walk from Nisan school polling booth to his vehicle showing up his inked finger post exercising his franchise as ‘road show’ and file complaint with the Election Commission.
Confirming the complaint of the Opposition party, Gujarat’s Chief Electoral Officer BB Swain said enquiry on the matter was handed over to Ahmedabad collector. According to Swain the complaint from Congress party regarding road-show seemed to be an anticipatory in nature.
Earlier on the day, Modi’s nonagenarian mother Hira Ba too cast her vote in the state capital Gandhinagar. 95-year-old Hira Ba is staying with PM Modi’s youngest brother Pankaj.
Before the controversy over his alleged road show, Modi landed in Ahmedabad in late morning and reached at Nisan School in Ranip area which is coming under Sabarmati Assembly constituency. As he reached at the polling booth he saw his elder brother Sombhai, who also came to the same polling to cast his vote and touched his feet. He also met couple of people there and straight away stood in a queue like a common voter and waited for his turn to come. Interestingly those who were already standing in queue tried to give him way but he politely denied and allowed them to cast their vote first. Modi used his franchise in 2012 Assembly polls as well as 2014 lok Sabha polls from the same school. Anticipating Modi’s arrival, large number of BJP supporter throng to 115 number polling booth in Ranip area with Dhol, Nagara and Sharanai wearing saffron turban and saffron flags chanting ‘Modi.. Modi’. As Modi came out of the booth casting his votes, people started following him and as if it was a road show. Even after he boarded his vehicle, people kept on shouting slogans and waving BJP flags.