PM’s photo at petrol bunks is a violation: EC

place in the new list along with Arvind Singh Gope and Ram Govind Chaudhary.

Likewise, some tainted nominees, including Atiq Ahmed, Mukhtar Ansari’s brother Sibgha-tullah, and Amanmani Tripathi, son of a murder convict, given ticket by Mulayam and Shivpal could be dropped.

While Atiq is a politician with criminal background, Ansari is gangster-turned-politician heading the Qaumi Ekta Dal, whose merger with SP was strongly opposed by Akhilesh, before he had to give in to pressure from Mulayam.

It may be recalled that Mr Mulayam had announced candidates for all but eight of the 403 Assembly seats on December 30.

Later the Akhilesh camp had circulated through social media an unsigned list of 250 candidates. New Delhi, Jan. 12: Photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on hoardings at petrol pumps in poll-bound Goa and on certificates issued by oil companies in Uttarakhand are violative of the model code, the Election Commission said on Thursday and asked the Cabinet Secretary to ensure compliance of its instructions during elections.

In a letter to Cabinet Secretary P.K. Sinha, the Commission said it had received complaints about hoardings with photographs of the Prime Minister being displayed at petrol pumps in poll-bound Goa. It also referred to a news story in a Hindi daily that certificates with the photos of the Prime Minister were being distributed by oil companies to LPG consumers who have surrendered gas subsidy in Uttarakhand.

“This is not permissible under the Model Code of Conduct and the Election Commission’s instructions (issued after schedule for assembly polls to Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur was announced on January 4),” the letter said.

The Commission has requested Sinha to ensure that its instructions “are brought to the notice of all concerned for strict compliance in letter and spirit.”

Meanwhile, Ruling BJP and Opposition Congress in Goa on Thursday released their first lists of candidates for the February 4 Assembly elections, retaining prominent leaders, such as CM Laxmikant Parsekar and others.

— PTI BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj, who made the controversial remark blaming Muslims for the country’s population growth, was on Thursday censured by the Election Commission and given a warning that stern action would be taken against him if he violates the model code again.

The BJP MP’s remarks, at a ‘sant sammelan’ in Meerut last week, had come days after the Supreme Court ruled that political parties and candidates can’t seek votes in the name of religion or caste.

The EC had issued a notice to the Unnao MP on Tuesday to which he had replied.

The poll watchdog, however, said it did not find the MP’s reply satisfactory, “because in the Commission’s considered view, supported by observations of the Supreme Court, any statement to the effect of promoting enmity between different classes of society in connection with election on the grounds of religion made during electioneering or otherwise is violative of Model Code of Conduct”.

Earlier, Sakshi Maharaj had informed the Election Commission that the statement was not made in a public or an election meeting but at a saints’ conclave and hence could not be considered violative of the model code.