SEC orders Mah CM to pay for tour expenses

Mumbai, Jan 23: Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has indiced Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh for violating the election Code of Conduct and directed him to pay for the expenses of his last month's tour to Pune and Kolhapur.

State Election Commissioner Nand Lal had written a letter to the Chief Minister on January 19 and the copies of the nine page letter were given to Chief Secretary Dr D K Shankaran and Maharashtra Congress president Prabha Rau that the amount spend should be reimbursed to the state treasury before February two.

According to Mr Lal, on December 24 and 25, Mr Deshmukh attended a function at Vasantdada Sugar Institute in his capacity as director of his Manjra Sugar co-operative factory. He stayed at the Official Guest House and even addressed a press conference and made political statements thus violating the election Code of Conduct for the February one elections to ten Municipal Corporations.

However, on January nine, the Chief Minister's office denied that Mr Deshmukh addressed a press conference in Pune and sought clarification from the SEC on how the election Code of Conduct had been violated. The Chief Minister's office also said since Mr Deshmukh was entitled to Z-Plus security official vehicles were used for his travel.

Mr Lal has also accused the Chief Minister of attempting to influence the functioning of the State Election Commission reiterating his earlier accusation that Mr Deshmukh had tried to pressurize him to prevent the delimitation of his Latur assembly constituency. Mr Nand Lal was member of the Delimitation Commission.

UNI