Jaipur: The BJP on Monday filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India alleging that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s announcement of “seven guarantees” ahead of the November 25 assembly elections violates the poll code.
Last Friday, Gehlot announced five guarantees for the people of Rajasthan, including a law on the Old Pension Scheme, buying cow dung and providing a laptop or a tablet to government college students, if his government is reelected. Two ‘guarantees’ were announced in Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s public meeting earlier.
A BJP delegation met with Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Praveen Gupta on Monday and submitted a memorandum, saying that once the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect, announcements of any kind of schemes by which a political party can attempt to influence the common people are against the rules.
The Model Code of Conduct came into force in Rajasthan on October 9 after the Election Commission announced the date for the assembly elections.
In a statement, the BJP alleged that Gehlot’s announcement was a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and also falls under the category of ‘Corrupt practices’ under section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
The party’s intellectual cell convenor Rajendra Singh Shekhawat said Chief Minister Gehlot recently wrote a message on social media about the seven guarantees of the Congress and asked people to register themselves to avail of the benefits of such schemes.
He alleged that luring the general public to register for such guarantee schemes was a criminal act and a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
This is against the rules and should be stopped immediately, Shekhawat said, adding that action should be taken against the Congress and its chief minister.
