INDORE: The Bharatiya Janata Party in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday condemned in Parliament the call to voters to exercise the NOTA option, calling it an attack on democracy, while saffron party MPs in Indore put a sticker on their autorickshaws. A poster claiming the same thing was removed. Following Sandhya Yadav’s act, the Congress approached the Election Commission (EC) and lodged a complaint against her.
Elsewhere, Bharatiya Janata Party chief minister VD Sharma said instigating people to press the “None of the Above” (NOTA) button was a crime in a democracy.
In Indore, the opposition Congress was shocked when its candidate Akshay Kumar Bam withdrew his nomination on April 29, the last day to withdraw candidates for the Sabah elections.
Bam later joined the BJP and the Congress appealed to the people to press NOTA during the May 13 polls in Indore to teach the saffron party a lesson.
The Congress lodged a complaint with the EC after a video surfaced on social media showing Yadav removing a poster of an organization called Loktantra Bachao Samiti urging support for NOTA.
Asserting that they will continue to do so, the Bharatiya Janata Party MP said: P.T.I. She claimed she had fulfilled her “duty to be a good citizen” and removed posters promoting NOTA from her autorickshaw.
Promoting this voting option is not in the interest of democracy, she said.
State Congress general secretary Rakesh Singh Yadav alleged that Sandhya Yadav threatened autorickshaw drivers and forcibly removed posters while claiming that angry voters were carrying out the NOTA movement. She was accompanied by miscreants, he claimed.
Congress officials said they have filed a complaint with the EC by submitting a video of the incident.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh BJP leader Sharma claimed that promoting the NOTA option was an “attack on democracy”.
He added: “In a democracy, inciting people to press the NOTA button is a crime. Congressional leadership wants to undermine democracy.”
Taking a swipe at state Congress president Jitu Patwari, Sharma said, “Your candidates voluntarily withdrew their nominations at the last minute. The people are not stupid. You are on the wrong side and have asked the people NOTA. “I’m asking you to vote for that. That’s not going to happen.” do. ”
Asked about Bam’s membership in the Bharatiya Janata Party, Sharma said: “We have a purification system and an X-ray machine installed here.” There’s nothing to worry about. ”
issued May 8, 2024, 20:53 IST
