The Election Commission, while deciding not to pursue the matter further against Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar over his ‘vote twice’ remarks, said it was not satisfied with his explanation.
The Nationalist Congress Party president had expressed regret for calling upon a group of head-load carriers in Navi Mumbai to vote twice — once in their village and again in Mumbai.
The BJP had lodged a complaint with the Commission soon after the comment Mr. Pawar made on March 23.
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In a letter to Mr. Pawar, which was made public, the Commission expected him, as a senior politician, to be careful in future and not to violate the model code of conduct in “words/conduct.”
“Whereas the Commission has considered your reply and observed, inter alia , that you have overlooked the provisions of Section 171D of [the] Indian Penal Code, whereunder voting more than once even in your name is also an electoral offence of personation, and thus your call to voters to vote at more than one place is a violation of the law…” the EC informed Mr. Pawar.