Brij Bhushan booked for poll code violation

While the BJP is yet to declare its candidate for Kaiserganj, where polling is scheduled on May 20, the sitting MP and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief has been busy with his ‘jansampark’ campaign

Still awaiting the party’s nod to contest the forthcoming election, the sitting BJP MP from Kaiserganj, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, was found to have violated the model code of conduct (MCC) on Thursday by taking out a roadshow in certain areas of Gonda district.

(FIle)

As the roadshow covered Karnailganj, Khagupur and Parasrampur police station areas, which are parts of the Kaiserganj constituency, FIRs regarding the violation were registered in police stations of all three locations, officials said.

Also, the district administration has issued show-cause notices to three station house officers for not acting against the MP when his roadshow was crossing their respective jurisdictions.

Confirming the development, district election officer Neha Sharma said two persons, including Singh, had been booked in the FIR for organising and taking part in the long convoy of vehicles without official permission when the MCC was in effect.

While the BJP is yet to declare its candidate for Kaiserganj, where polling is scheduled on May 20, the sitting MP and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief has been busy with his ‘jansampark’ campaign. However, no name or picture of any BJP leader is being used. On Thursday too, no vehicle in his caravan was seen carrying the party flag.

Commenting on who the party was likely to pick for Kaiserganj, BJP Gonda district president Amar Kishore Kashyap said, “Our organisation does not see faces. We’re not concerned with who will be the candidate...we work for the ‘lotus’ (the party’s symbol).”

According to sources in the BJP, the party leadership was brainstorming over the likely implications of fielding Singh, given the controversies surrounding him during his tenure as the WFI chief.

The six-time MP is facing allegations of sexual harassment levelled by women wrestlers. The issue gained traction after Khaps and farmers from Haryana demanded the Union government take action against Singh. While he has been named in the chargesheet prepared by Delhi Police in the case, he also has a list of other criminal charges, which include murder and kidnapping, in Uttar Pradesh. HTC