Minister, Fatehabad MLA served notice over poll code violation

Hisar, August 27

The Returning Officer-cum-SDM, Hisar, has served a notice on state Health Minister Kamal Gupta and Fatehabad MLA Dura Ram for the violation of the model code of conduct and sought their replies. Gupta is the BJP MLA from the Hisar Assembly constituency.

The notice served on the two leaders stated that they had violated the model code of conduct during a religious programme organised in the Bishnoi mandir in Hisar town on August 26. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini was the chief guest at the event.

The notice stated that during the course of the programme, the two leaders violated the poll code. “As per the instructions of the Election Commission of India, mosques/ temples/ churches or other places of worship shall not be used as a forum for election propaganda. Therefore, prima facie, it appears that you have violated the model code of conduct,” the notice read, while asking the leaders to submit their replies. Administration sources said that the two leaders had not yet submitted their replies to the notice.

Dura Ram had said in his speech during the function that there were about 17 or 18 Assembly seats in the region having about 5,000 to 15,000 Bishnoi community voters. “I will urge you to vote for the candidates fielded by the BJP in these constituencies so that people like Nayab Saini could become Chief Minister again,” he added.

Dura Ram said that at the instance of Kuldeep Bishnoi, the Chief Minister wrote to the ECI for a change in the date of polling in Haryana as an annual fair of the Bishnoi community was due to be organised in Rajasthan on October 2 and a large number of community members from Haryana attend it. Gupta had also made an electoral appeal during the visit to the Bishnoi mandir, which invited the notice from the Returning Officer.