New Delhi: The Election Commission on Sunday
censured Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for violating Model
Code of Conduct during campaigning for the Assembly
bye-elections in the state.
The Commission, after going through the entire material,
including video clipping and transcription of Gogoi`s campaign
speeches, said the allegations made against him stand
"substantiated".
In its order, the EC said it "censured" Gogoi, who heads
the Congress government in the state, for violation of the
Model Code for the bypolls held yesterday and advised him to
be "careful in future".
The EC order came after a complaint was made to the
Commission that the Chief Minister, while campaigning in
Dhekiajui constituency in the state on November 3, had made
promises to the electorate that if the candidate of his party
won, he would provide a special package for the all-round
development of the constituency.
It was also alleged that Gogoi had promised to fulfil the
demand for making the constituency a sub-division and build a
library in the name of martyrs of a movement for creation of
the sub-division.
Taking note of the complaint, the EC had issued a notice
the Chief Minister on November 6 seeking an explanation from
him on the charges that he violated provisions of the Model
Code of Conduct.
Gogoi sent an explanation to the notice the next day in
which he said that he had only reiterated the stand of the
government mentioning that the development of backward and
border areas of the state, under which Dhekiajuli falls, had
been of special priority under the declared policy of the
Assam government, an EC release said.
Bureau Report
