NEW DELHI, Mar 22: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) against the West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, accusing him of unlawfully meddling in the upcoming Lok Sabha poll process and trying to run a parallel office similar to the EC.
Hitting out at the Raj Bhavan occupant for launching a new portal ‘Log Sabha’ to listen to the grievances of voters and directly connect with them during the polls, the TMC said it not only undermines the power of the EC, but take away its authority to address grievances, leading to unnecessary confusion among the masses.
“In such circumstances, we call upon you to restrain CV Ananda Bose from running a parallel electioneering system of so-called reporting of complaints and supervising the elections under the name and style of Log Sabha,” the letter said.
It must be ensured that the governor is not allowed to interfere with the electioneering process and the powers and functions of the ECI, it added.
In Karnataka, the BJP requested the Election Commission to prohibit display of films, advertisements, and billboards of actor Shivarajkumar who it claimed was campaigning for the Congress in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.
His wife, Geetha Shivarajkumar is the Congress candidate in the Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency for the coming polls and the actor was earlier this week seen campaigning for her. In a letter to the poll body, the Karnataka State President of BJP OBC Morcha Wing and senior BJP leader R Raghu stated that Shivarajkumar, being a prominent figure in the state and currently engaged in a “state-wide election campaign for the Congress party,” holds significant influence over the populace through his cinematic work and “public persona.” “While we respect his right to participate in the democratic process, it is imperative to maintain a level playing field and prevent undue advantage or influence during the election period,” Raghu said.
(Manas Dasgupta)