EC to Decide on Complaints Against PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi Today; May Also Discuss Dates for J&K Polls

New Delhi: The Election Commission will take a decision on complaints of model code violations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday.

Deputy election commissioner Chandra Bhushan Kumar said on Monday that the 'full commission' would meet Tuesday morning and decide on the complaints.

"The secretariat has processed everything and place the details before the Commission," he said.

The Commission meets every Tuesday and Thursday to discuss important issues.

The poll panel is also likely to discuss the possible dates for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections on Tuesday. The state elections could not be held along with Lok Sabha polls as the Union Home Ministry had cited law and order problems in holding simultaneous election.

The meeting of the Commission will take place on a day when the Supreme Court will hear a Congress MP's plea seeking direction to the poll panel to decide without any "demur" the complaints against Modi and Shah on their alleged hate speeches and using armed forces for "political propaganda".

Asked whether the meeting has deliberately been coincided with hearing in SC, another deputy election commissioner Sandeep Saxena said the agenda for the EC's meet was fixed last week itself.

Responding to questions on delay on the part of the EC in taking a decision, Saxena said a "comprehensive view" is required for which legal, model code and expenditure divisions are involved.

Addressing a rally in Ausa of Latur in Maharashtra on April 9, Modi had urged young voters to cast ballots in the name of heroes of the Balakot air strike.

The local poll authorities in Maharashtra are learnt to have told the EC here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks asking first-time voters to dedicate their vote to those who carried out the Balakot air strike, are prima facie violative of its orders, asking parties against using the armed forces in their campaigns.

Modi had said, "Can your first vote be dedicated to those who carried out the air strike."

"I want to tell the first-time voters: can your first vote be dedicated to the veer jawans (valiant soldiers) who carried out the air strike in Pakistan. Can your first vote be dedicated to the veer shaheed (brave martyrs) of Pulwama (terror attack)," Modi had said.

On a question about Modi's remarks not being violative of the EC's guidelines because he had not sought votes for any party, an official said the matter is before EC and it would decide on it Tuesday.

A decision on Shah's reported remarks on 'Modi ji ki vayu sena' made in West Bengal on Monday will also be taken on Tuesday.

The EC had sought reports on Modi and Shah in the context of its advisory issued last month asking parties to desist from indulging in political propaganda involving actions of the armed forces.

"...parties/candidates are advised that their campaigners/candidates should desist, as part of their election campaigning, from indulging in any political propaganda involving activities of defence forces," the commission said on March 19.

Rahul Gandhi's 'chowkidar chor hai' jibe against Modi is also under EC lens and the decision is slated for Tuesday. Transcripts of his two media interactions/interviews in which he had reportedly made these remarks have been obtained and it is under the consideration of the Commission.

(With Inputs from PTI)