Congress urges EC to remove Modi photos from hoardings, petrol vends

The Congress on Monday approached the Election Commission to demand that photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be removed from hoardings at public places and petrol vends ahead of the assembly polls in five states.

The objection was raised by party Secretary and its legal and human rights department head K.C. Mittal, who said that such hoardings put up by various state and private oil companies, popularising distribution of cooking gas, could not be permitted when Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in operation.

The Election Commission recently announced dates of assembly polls in fives states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur, beginning on February 4.

"The hoardings, posters, banners of the central government with the photographs of the Prime Minister at any place within the election-bound states cannot continue, since it is in violation of the MCC and will interfere with free and fair elections," said the complaint.

"It is requested that the Commission may please order removal of all such hoardings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the petrol pumps and any other place in these states along with other posters, banners of the central government or central bodies in the form of any advertisement by them," it added.

Noting that the poll panel has ordered removal of the posters, banners and advertisements in these states issued by the state government with the photograph of the Chief Minister or any other persons, Mittal in his complaint said a similar thing should be done in the case of the Prime Minister's photo or office-bearers of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

--IANS

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