BJP leader charges KCR of poll code violation

​Hyderabad: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State unit on Friday demanded that the Election Commission of India (ECI) take action against Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K Chandrashekar Rao for violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The BJP vowed to approach the courts if necessary.

Addressing media State party chief spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao said that caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao addressed media after casting his vote at Chintamadaka and claimed that the TRS is going to win the elections as winds were sweeping in favour of the party.

He said that KCR said this to media while the polling was on and within the premises of the polling booth which amounts to propagation, promotion and election canvassing and it was a violation of the model code of conduct.

Against this backdrop, the BJP leader said that a complaint had also been lodged with Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar, asking the commission to initiate disqualification process of KCR, for violating MCC. “If the commission fails to act then we will pursue the issue in the courts, if necessary,” he added.

He said that the initial reports pegged the polling percentage at about 65 per cent and it shows the enthusiasm of the voters to take part in the democratic process. “The people have locked their mandates in EVMs and we will respect whatever their verdict is,” he said.

Thanking the party’s national, State and district leaders and cadre for making herculean efforts in organising party’s campaign extensively for 20 days in Telangana, Krishna Saagar Rao said that the party had organised about 370 small and big public meetings across the State as part of its connect with the people across the State during campaign trail. “Technically, the current polls held on Friday are the first State Assembly elections of Telangana and we had contested in 118 Assembly segments,” he said.

Responding to a question, Rao said that the BJP condemns violence of any sort and it has no role in regard to the incident that took place in Kalwakurthy Assembly segment, in which the Congress party nominee was reportedly attacked. 

Terming the allegations against the BJP in the incidents were baseless, Rao said, “the whole exercise is a drama enacted by the Congress to gain people’s sympathy.” He questioned how voters in a polling booth attacking a Congress candidate is in any way related to the BJP. The police should identify those responsible for the incident and take necessary action against them.