Election Commission bars West Bengal leader Mahadev Sarkar from campaigning for 48 hrs over sexist remarks

The panel said that it found the BJP candidate guilty of violating the Model Code of Conduct for making controversial remarks on rival candidate Mahua Moitra.

File photo

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Friday barred BJP's Nadia district president Mahadev Sarkar from campaigning for two days for making sexist remarks on a Trinamool candidate during a rally in West Bengal.

The panel said that it first issued a notice and then barred Nadia president Mahadev Sarkar from holding any public meeting, road show, public rally and giving interviews in media in connection with ongoing elections, for 48 hours, effective from 4 pm on April 26 till 4 pm on April 28.

The panel said that it found the BJP candidate guilty of violating the Model Code of Conduct for making controversial remarks on Trinamool Congress candidate Mahua Moitra during a poll campaign. 

On Thursday, the Supreme Court had issued a notice to the Election Commission to take appropriate action against party workers for making sexist remarks against Mahua Moitra.

Earlier, when the poll panel served a show cause notice to Sarkar for making derogatory remarks against his rival candidate Moitra and asked him to clarify as to why he made such remarks on her. In his response, Sarkar said that the matter does not come under the violation of the model code of conduct. 

However, the Election Commission said that his remarks have clearly violated the Model Code of Conduct provision and reprimanded him for the same while barring him for 48 hours from campaigning for Lok Sabha election.