SC stays EC order that revoked star campaigner status of Kamal Nath

New Delhi, Nov 02: The Supreme Court has stayed the order of the Election Commission which had revoked the star campaigner status of former Madhya Pradesh, chief minister, Kamal Nath.

The EC had on October 30 revoked the status of the former MP CM. Last Friday, the Congress said that it would move the Supreme Court against the order. The MP by-polls will be held on November 3.

Congress' Rajya Sabha member and senior lawyer Vivek Tankha told reporters that a petition will be filed.

The EC on Friday revoked the star campaigner status of MP Congress chief and former chief minister Kamal Nath for repeated violations of the model code while campaigning for the bypolls to 28 Assembly constituencies in the state.

While a political party pays for the expenditure of a star campaigner, an individual candidate pays for the expenditure of other campaigners.

The EC said it has carefully considered the matter and has observed with "displeasure that Kamal Nath despite being a leader of a political party is repeatedly violating the provisions of Model Code of Conduct and breaching the ethical and dignified behaviour".

The Commission referred to his remarks against Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Last week, the EC had asked Nath not to use words like "item" in campaigning.

He had used the jibe to hit out at state minister and BJP candidate Imarti Devi at a rally.