Congress MP and Lok Sabha poll candidate from Nagaon constituency in Assam, Pradyut Bordoloi, has lodged a complaint against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing him of breaching the model code of conduct by offering financial incentives to ration cardholders during the ongoing election campaign.
Bordoloi submitted the complaint to the chief election commissioner on Tuesday night, alleging that Sarma, during a public gathering in Lakhimpur, pledged to deposit Rs 10,000 into the bank accounts of every ration cardholder post-election.
Describing such assurances as a “clear violation” of the MCC, the Congress leader emphasized that such promises undermine the integrity of the electoral process by attempting to influence voters through financial inducements.
He urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and take appropriate action against the chief minister for his alleged misconduct.
Furthermore, Bordoloi filed another complaint with the chief electoral officer, alleging that the BJP was persisting with the contentious socio-economic survey despite receiving a show-cause notice from the CEO’s office on April 6.
According to Bordoloi, forms for conducting the socio-economic survey, promising inclusion under the ‘Orunodoi’ cash direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme, were being distributed in Ward No. 1 of Matharboi of Barapujia Gaon Panchayat in Morigaon district on Tuesday.
Expressing concern over potential violations in other areas, Bordoloi condemned the BJP’s alleged disregard for electoral norms and misuse of government schemes for electoral gains.
The CEO’s office had previously issued a show-cause notice to the ruling BJP on April 5, following allegations of MCC violations raised by the CPI(M). The notice sought a response from the state BJP unit president by April 8 regarding the party’s collection of data under the pretext of conducting a socio-economic survey with the aim of increasing beneficiaries under a government scheme.
