New Delhi, April 15: The Election Commission on Monday “condemned and censured” Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and BSP supremo Mayawati for invoking religion and barred them from campaigning for a limited period for the violation of Model Code of Conduct starting Tuesday.
Both leaders have been barred from holding any public meetings, processions, rallies, road shows, interviews and public utterances in media in the current elections.
While Adityanath was barred for 72 hours starting at 6.00 am on April 16, Mayawati has been barred for 48 hours starting on the same day and same time, separate EC orders said.
Mayawati was issued the notice for her speech at Deoband on April 7 appealing to Muslims to not vote for a particular party. The BSP chief had prima facie violated the model code of conduct, the poll panel found.
Adityanath was served the notice for his “Ali” and “Bajrang Bali” remarks while addressing a rally in Meerut.
He compared the Lok Sabha elections to a contest between ‘Ali’, a revered figure in Islam, and Bajrang Bali, the Hindu god Hanuman.
