Aam Aadmi Party senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Friday urged the Election Commission (EC) to disqualify Prime Minister Narendra Modi from fighting the Lok Sabha election from Varanasi.
He alleged that Mr. Modi’s expenditure for his nomination rally in Varanasi had exceeded the expenditure limit of ₹70 lakh set by the EC.
In a complaint filed with the election officer in Varanasi, the AAP leader urged the poll panel to take action against Mr. Modi under Section 10A and 77 of People Representation Act 1951, for allegedly spending ₹1.27 crore for the rally, before filing his nomination on Thursday.
“The total expense of the rally ₹1.27 crore, is well above the limit of ₹70 lakh. I request you to inquire the matter based on this information and under Section 10A and 77 People Representation Act 1951, disqualify Narendra Modi ji from fighting the election,” the complaint reads.
Modes of transport
Giving a break down of the expenses, the complaint signed by Mr. Singh said, “About ₹64 lakh was spent on private planes used by BJP leaders to reach Varanasi. More than 100 BJP leaders took flights to reach Varanasi at a cost of ₹15 lakh. The hotel expenses for leaders and workers would be around ₹8 lakh.”
“Cost for more than 200 vehicles: ₹6 lakh. During the nomination rally, more than 200 four-wheelers were used. If one vehicle’s rent is about ₹2,500 to ₹3,000, then the total would be ₹6 lakh,” the complaint states.
The AAP leader claimed that ₹5 lakh was spent on food, ₹2 lakh each on social media campaign, sound system and stage among others.
He has also mentioned that ₹20 lakh were spent to ferry BJP workers from different part of the country to Varanasi by train.
