The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday filed a first information report (FIR) against Mumbai Congress president Milind Deora for allegedly making a false statement and attempting to influence voters by using religion at a campaign rally.
According to the complaint submitted by the EC’s model code of conduct cell to the police, parts of Mr. Deora’s speech at a campaign meeting in Zaveri Bazar on April 2 violated the poll code.
Mr. Deora, contesting the Mumbai South Lok Sabha seat, said on Sunday that he was making a ‘simple point’ at the time about the Shiv Sena taking people’s votes in the name of Narendra Modi in 2014 and then turning against them. “Such political hypocrisy needs to be exposed. I strongly feel (that) no political party should either appease or oppose any community on their practices and beliefs,” he said.
Advocate Dharam Mishra, a Sena member, told The Hindu that a legal notice has been sent to Mr. Deora, and that they have threatened to file a defamation case against him in court.
“Mr. Deora has been booked under Section 171 (G) of the Indian Penal Code for making a false statement in connection with an election and Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, for trying to influence voters using religion,” said an official from L.T. Marg police station, where the FIR has been registered.
Dnyaneshwar Chavan, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-II, said an investigation into the complaint is under way. “It is an offence and we will be investigating the facts mentioned in the FIR as per the provisions under the Code of Criminal Procedure,” he said.