The Election Commission on Wednesday gave a clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that he did not violate the model code of conduct while appealing to first-time voters in Latur, Maharashtra, citing the Pulwama terror attack and the air strikes at Balakot in Pakistan.
The poll panel said in a statement that it has examined the matter and after examining the transcript of the speech delivered by PM Modi in Latur, the commission is of the "considered view that in this matter no such violation of the extant advisories/provisions is attracted."
"I want to ask my first-time voters, can your first vote be dedicated to the soldiers who conducted the Balakot air strikes? Can your first vote be in the name of the martyrs who lost their lives in Pulwama?" PM Modi had said in Latur on April 9.
It is to be noted that in March a notification was issued by the EC directing the political parties to not drag armed forces into poll campaign. The poll panel had issued the order after the Congress and other opposition parties had accused the BJP of using the air strikes at Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Balakot for political advantage.
On Tuesday, the EC had given clean chit to PM Modi over his speech in Wardha, Maharashtra, saying that he did not violate poll code during the speech.
"The matter has been examined in detail in accordance to the extant guidelines/provisions of the Model Code of Conduct, the Representation of the People Act and the report of the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra. Accordingly, the commission is of the considered view that in this matter no such violation has been noticed," the EC had said.
Earlier this month, while addressing a rally in Maharashtra's Wardha, the prime minister had made a reference to Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s decision to also contest from Kerala’s Wayanad and had said that the Congress was "scared" to field its leaders from constituencies where majority dominates.
