Congress demands EC action against Shekhawat

Gandhinagar, July 13 (UNI) Leader of the Opposition in Gujarat Assembly Arjun Modhwadia has urged the Election Commission to take appropriate action against NDA backed Independent Presidential candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat for ''misusing his official position and violating Model Code of Conduct by luring voters''.

Mr Modhwadia has written a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, criticising Mr Shekhawat for calling up Congress MLA Baldevji Thakor, and requesting the latter to vote for him in the election.

He said Mr Shekhawat is holding the post of Vice-President, which is a Constitutional post, if he wants to canvas he should first resign from the post. Thus, he had misused his position and also breached the Model Code of Conduct, the letter said.

Mr Thakor, representing Kadi constituency in north Gujarat, claimed that he had received a call from Mr Shekhawat on his cellphone yesterday. When he was visiting Palli village in the constituency. Mr Thakor said Mr Shekhawat had called him up and said he should vote for him. ''When I informed him that I being a Congress member can't vote for him, Shekhawat said that your candidate Pratibha Patil will not help him, while he will do any work Thakor desires him to do'', Mr Thakor added.

Mr Modhwadia requested the Chief Election Commissioner to take necessary action against Mr Shekhawat for misusing his official position and for violating model code of conduct by luring the voters.

However, a senior official of the state election department here said Mr Shekhawat, as a candidate, has the right to approach the electorate seeking their support in the presidential elections.

UNI