EC imposes 7-day campaign ban on Trinamool MLA for threatening voters

New Delhi, March 30 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) has banned Trinamool Congress MLA Narendranath Chakraborty in West Bengal from campaigning or holding meetings for seven days effective from Wednesday following a complaint from the BJP for threatening voters in Asansol bypoll.

The ECI order issued on Wednesday (March 290 said, "A video clip of Narendranath Chakraborty, MLA, 275-Pandabeswar Assembly Constituency of the State of West Bengal, is widely circulating on various media platforms which contained the threatening message and a report in the matter has been obtained from Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal wherein it has been informed that a notice for show cause has been issued to Narendranath Chakraborty."

The Commission also said that it has received an interim reply from Chakraborty in respect of the aforesaid notice, wherein he has denied the allegations levelled against him.

The Commission in its order observed that the aforesaid statement was a threatening to voters/electors to conduct peaceful, free and fair elections and hence the statement has potential to interfere with free exercise of the electoral right of electors, as defined in Sub Section 2 of Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, Sections 171 C & 171-F of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

The poll panel censured Chakraborty for the above said violation and ordered to "prohibit him from holding any public meetings, public processions, public rallies, road shows and interviews, public utterances in media (electronic, print, social media), etc., in connection with ongoing bypoll for a week, that is seven days from 10.00 a.m. of March 30, 2022 till 8.00 p.m. of April 6, 2022 (Wednesday)."