The Election Commission has ordered suspension to two UP officials for "dereliction" of poll related duties ahead of the coming state Assembly elections.
Conveying a strong message of its intent to hold free and fair elections in UP, the EC has ordered disciplinary action against the officials for not performing their duties properly in the revision of electoral rolls. The panel’s action has come in the backdrop of a report by it’s observers monitoring the pre-poll preparations in the Kanpur division. The officials are Sanjay Kumar Yadav, SDM, Jaswantnagar and Badan Singh, Lekhpal.
The EC has also directed the state Government to initiate disciplinary proceeding against the officials under service conduct rules and has sought a compliance report by February 5, the panel sources said.
On the Punjab front, Sukhbir Badal, MP and son of the Shiromani Akali Dal chief Prakash Singh Badal has once again come under the Election Commission’s scanner for violating the Model Code of Conduct in the ongoing campaign for the Assembly elections.
Sukhbir, alongwith 10 contesting candidates of other parties have been informed about the EC’s "displeasure' for not sending "satisfactory" replies to the earlier show-cause notices served to them for violating various provisions of the Code.
"After considering their replies, the EC has warned Sukhbir and other contestants to be careful in future," the Commission sources said.
The Badal junior was served notice by the EC for breach of security on account of landing his helicopter in a school ground without prior permission of the district administration.
{{/usCountry}}The Badal junior was served notice by the EC for breach of security on account of landing his helicopter in a school ground without prior permission of the district administration.
{{/usCountry}}Three candidates of his party Jagbir Singh Brar (Jalandhar Cantt), Balbir Singh Maini (Tanda) and Raghbir Singh (Kapurthala) and a BSP nominee Kapil Batra (Jalandhar Cantt) also figure in the list.
Six candidates of the ruling Congress have also received similar warning. They are: Pratap Singh Bajwa ( Kahnuwan), his brother Fate Jung Singh Bajwa ( Sri Hargobindpur), Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa (Qadian), Jagmohan Singh Kang (Morinda), Ramesh Chander Dogra (Dasuya) and Gurkanwal Kaur (Jalandhar Cantt).
The EC had earlier slapped showcause notices on Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and his arch-rival Parkash Singh Badal for violating the model code of conduct.