Two Cong leaders booked for poll code violation

Assistant Returning Officer of Hubli-Dharwad (East) Assembly constituency Ashok Kalghatagi and Hubballi Urban Tahsildar Shashidhar Madyal have filed separate complaints against two Congress leaders for violating the Model Code of Conduct.

Hubballi-Dharwad City unit General Secretary Rajath Ullagadimath and Rajani Bijawad are accused of using mobile phones inside the polling booths and uploading their voting process on social networking sites. The Election Commission has banned the use of mobile phone within a 100-meter radius of polling booths.

They have been booked under Section 188 of IPC and Section 128 of Representation of People Act.

Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner M N Nagaraj said, "Rajath recorded himself of casting his vote to Congress candidate Vinay Kulkarni through his second phone. He had handed over his first phone to a lady constable stationed outside the polling booth. Later, he uploaded that video as his WhatsApp status."

Rajani uploaded a picture of himself casting a vote to Vinay on a WhatsApp group.

BJP leaders, including MP Pralhad Joshi and former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, have demanded action against the two for violating the secrecy of voting.