New Delhi: IN a strong move that should send out a clear message to other politicians as well, the Election Commission bans UP CM Yogi Adityanath and BSP chief Mayawati from election campaigning for 72 hours and 48 hours respectively. The ban begins at 6 am tomorrow and has been slapped on them for violating the Model Code of Conduct by making objectionable statements in their speeches.
This means no road shows, rallies, interviews, public statements or social media posts.
The Election Commission’s action comes after Yogi Adityanath’s speech at a rally in Meerut, where he said, “If the Congress, the SP and the BSP have faith in Ali, then we too have faith in Bajrangbali.
As for Mayawati, she had made an appeal to Muslim voters in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur and Bareilly districts during the first joint rally of the BSP-SP alliance in Deoband on April 7. She had cautioned voters, “particularly Muslims”, against splitting their votes in the eight western UP seats that went to polls in the first phase on April 11.
