Lok Sabha polls: Congress seeks EC action against 'misleading' ads by BJP

New Delhi: The Congress has complained to the Election Commission against the BJP's 'misleading' advertisements and posters promoting various government schemes and sought their removal.

The opposition party also sought action against the alleged violation of poll code by senior BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying no action was taken by the EC on issues raised by them earlier.

A delegation of Congress leaders, including Mukul Wasnik, Salman Khurshid, Supriya Shrinate and Gurdeep Sappal, had met the EC and raised nine issues before the poll panel.

Khurshid had said the party complained to the EC on the manner in which campaigning is being done by the BJP during the Lok Sabha polls.

'People are pained at the manner in which the BJP is issuing advertisements and posters. We have objected to the manner in which the government schemes are being promoted with the prime minister's photograph and such a campaign during polls cannot take place. The EC has already taken note of such things and has assured us to take up our complaints,' Khurshid said.

He hoped that the EC will come forward and use its powers to act against the complaints to ensure a level playing field during the polls.

Shrinate had said, 'We have raised nine such issues before the EC and we hope that it will take action on such fake news and misleading advertisements to ensure a level playing field.' Shrinate also alleged that the BJP is running a campaign on 2G issue and is trying to create an illusion.

'The courts have also said that there is no culpability on the 2G issue, and running such a video after 10 years is objectionable. We have raised our complaint against the content and have urged the Election Commission to remove such a campaign.

'Secondly, the campaign that Modi ji has got the (Russia-Ukraine) war stopped. We have urged the EC to stop such kind of videos to misguide people. We have also raised misleading video using the army, which is banned as the model code is in force,' she said.

Shrinate claimed that a letter seeking support for a 'Viksit Bharat' written by the prime minister is being circulated on social media and WhatsApp by the BJP and they had complained against it.

The EC has said that some issues have already been dealt with, she said.

She also alleged that the BJP is using religious issues and other leaders like the prime minister and union minister Shobha Karandlaje.