Lucknow: Congress on Friday complained before the
Election Commission that some district magistrates-cum-
returning officers were ordering filing of FIRs without
differentiating between violation of model code of conduct and
offences under IPC.
A Congress delegation which met CEC SY Quraishi, election
commissioners HS Brahma and VS Sampath here submitted a
memorandum stating that till notification of poll schedule
and filing of nomination papers, a person is not a candidate
and expenses incurred by him cannot be held as poll expenses.
The party termed the ongoing filing of FIRs as unwarranted
and unlawful and an "attempt to stifle free campaign and
preparation".
Citing the instance of DMs of Sitapur and Lakhimpur asking
Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi to furnish the
accounts of expenditure incurred in public meetings in the
district and stating that the expenditure so incurred will be
counted as expenses of the Congress candidates, the memorandum
said it should not be deemed so.
The delegation, led by CLP leader Pramod Tewari,
complained that a part of the government machinery,
particularly certain district magistrates/district election
officers are acting in a biased manner in favour of the ruling
BSP and trying to harass Congress workers by obstructing their
poll campaign.
PTI
