Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D Ok Shivakumar on Tuesday stated that the state authorities’s commercials about its work in newspapers in poll-bound Telangana don’t violate any guidelines, as they didn’t ask for votes. Shivakumar stated the federal government would reply to the Election Commission’s letter on this.

The BJP on Monday had lodged a grievance with the EC in the matter, alleging that the Congress violated the Representation of the People Act and the Model Code of Conduct, with its authorities in Karnataka publishing commercials in Telangana media with a watch on the November 30 meeting polls there. The Election Commission, on the identical day, requested the Congress authorities in Karnataka to cease publishing commercials about its work in newspapers in Telangana, and sought an evidence from it for not looking for prior approval as mandated underneath the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah advised reporters that the commercials weren’t positioned to affect Telangana voters. ”It (commercial) was about achievements made in Karnataka, it isn’t for influencing the voters in Telangana. But after the election fee stated…we now have stopped it,” he stated.

Speaking to reporters right here, Shivakumar stated that the commercials have been solely aimed toward projecting the work accomplished by the Karnataka authorities amid claims by opposition events that it didn’t implement any of its ’assure schemes’. When requested concerning the EC’s instructions, stated ”We haven’t dedicated any violation; the Karnataka authorities has not requested anybody for votes… What violation have we dedicated? ”Whatever work we now have accomplished, we now have simply offered them to varied states — to newspaper readers whether or not in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, or Telangana… There is not any downside,” he insisted.

The adverts have been a counter to the opposition’s claims concerning the Karnataka authorities, and didn’t canvass for votes, Shivakumar reiterated. ”They (opposition events) have been making an attempt to propagate that we now have not applied (assure schemes) — we now have simply stated it (about implementation of ensures in the adverts), we now have not requested for any votes. If we now have requested any votes, then (it’s) okay (to query), however we now have not requested for votes from anybody; we now have not stated vote for Congress or X or Y,” he stated.

He additional sought to check the adverts with these given by different events in newspapers. ”There shall be so many magazines or publications masking tons of points. They (different events) additionally will give quite a bit of different commercials. We are projecting ourselves (Karnataka govt), we’re not projecting the Congress celebration — we will certainly reply (to EC),” he stated. Telangana’s ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) too had approached the ballot panel on the difficulty.

In a letter to the Karnataka Chief Secretary, the panel stated the state authorities didn’t receive prior approval from it for publishing the commercials, and that its motion was violative of the ballot code directions issued to the central and state governments years in the past. It additionally instructed the Government of Karnataka to cease publishing any such commercials in Telangana, with rapid impact, till it obtains the required approvals.

The EC has sought an evidence by 5 pm on Tuesday on the circumstances that led to the violation of the MCC. In its letter, the fee additionally requested why disciplinary motion shouldn’t be taken towards the secretary-in-charge of the Department of Information and Public Relations for violations of process, as talked about underneath MCC directions.

In the previous, the panel had noticed that sure commercials highlighting welfare schemes and achievements of the central and state governments have been being printed by some non-poll going states in newspapers in poll-bound states. It had thought of this to be a violation of the spirit of the Model Code of Conduct. In 2013, it had directed that, in future, all such commercials issued by non-poll going states through the interval in which the MCC is in drive can be forwarded to the panel for clearance earlier than they’re despatched for publication in newspapers having editions or circulation in poll-bound states.

The Telangana meeting polls shall be held on November 30. Votes shall be counted and outcomes declared on December 3.

(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – PTI)