An all-party delegation on Sunday met Election Commission (EC) officers, demanding that a case of breach of code of conduct be filed against Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for his alleged remarks in an audio clip asking party workers to use all means to gain victory in the Palghar by-election.
ADVERTISEMENT
Threat to democracy
Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said, “We have submitted the audio clip and necessary documents to the returning officer of the Election Commission, demanding action against the Chief Minister. The CM’s language is not only a threat to democracy, but also shows the manner in which he has been functioning. We demand strict action from the EC.”
The delegation included representatives from Congress, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The Lok Sabha by-election has become a prestige battle for the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The local Bahujan Vikas Aghadi holds considerable clout in the region.
ADVERTISEMENT
‘Marathi tuitions’
Attacking Mr. Fadnavis, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said that if the Chief Minister did not understand Marathi and his own words, he should take tuition in Marathi. Mr. Fadnavis, meanwhile, said he had submitted the original clip to the EC and requested it to check both versions. “Let the truth come out,” he said.
The BJP has alleged that the Sena roped in criminals to distribute money to voters ahead of election day.
“The BJP is going to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission that the Sena has brought 1,000 people from Thane, Mumbai and Kalyan who are staying illegally in Palghar even after the campaigning is over, and they are distributing money [to voters],” said BJP MLA Ravindra Chavan.