New Delhi:The Congress on Monday complained to the Election Commission of India over the alleged violation of poll code by the BJP’s Karnataka government ahead of the May 10 Assembly polls and by the AAP’s Punjab government ahead of the May 10 Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll. While the party is hopeful of wresting power from the ruling BJP in the southern state, the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll has become a matter of prestige for the grand old party in Punjab.
According to former union minister Salman Khurshid, who led the Congress delegation, “The party demanded that all tenders and bids of various departments of Karnataka government as well as those of the Central government related to the state be stopped for the conduct of free and fair elections. Khurshid said that the party raised a complaint in appeal against the refusal to grant permission to the Congress with regard to various advertisements. In its submission before the EC, the Congress leaders pointed out that “in the past, the BJP had run smear campaigns against the grand old party in Karnataka without any restraint.” “Yet the Congress is not being allowed permission to run advertisements that are far tamer in comparison,” said Khurshid.
According to the Congress veteran, various tenders were issued by the BJP government in Karnataka 48 hours before the declaration of the model code of conduct in the southern state. “These tenders worth a staggering Rs 16,000 crore are a direct and blatant attempt to influence the outcome of the state elections. We prayed before the ECI that these be scrutinised, the offending individuals penalised and the same, at the very least, be injuncted until the conclusion of the election,” said Khurshid.