Shobha Karandlaje booked for MCC violation

Bengaluru: In the first case of model code violation booked against a key political figure ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Election commission on Thursday filed an FIR against Union Minister and BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje over her recent remarks on the people of Tamil Nadu, officials here said.

The move comes a day after the EC directed the Karnataka chief electoral officer (CEO) to take immediate and appropriate action on the DMK’s complaint regarding the violation by Karandlaje, who is BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from the Bangalore North constituency. The poll panel also sought a compliance report on the matter within 48 hours. DMK, the ruling party in Tamil Nadu, had sought action against Karandlaje for alleging that a person from Tamil Nadu was responsible for the IED blast at the Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru on March 1.

In its complaint, the DMK said that the minister’s statement generalised the people of Tamil Nadu as “extremists”. According to the CEO, the Bangalore District Election Officer filed an FIR against Karandlaje under sections 123 (3A), 125 and 123 (3) of the RP (Representation of the People ) Act at the Cottonpet police station here.