EC issues notice to BJP candidate Sunny Deol for allegedly violating model code of conduct

The Election Commission on Saturday issued a notice to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Sunny Deol for allegedly violating of the model code of conduct.

Sunny Deol held a public meeting Punjab’s Pathankot on Friday night, after the model code of conduct was enforced. The poll officers also found that a loud speaker was used in the public meeting in which around 200 people were present. Taking a serious note of Deol’s public meeting, the EC issued a notice.

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In the notice, EC pointed out that by holding a public meeting during the silent period, Sunny Deol has violated the model code of conduct.

It is to be noted that election campaign is completely banned 48 hours before the polling process. Polling for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, including Gurdaspur, is scheduled to be held in the last phase of general elections on Sunday, May 19. The counting of votes for the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections will be taken up on May 23.

Interestingly, this comes a day after Sunny Deol knocked the Punjab high court’s door, anticipating "misuse of official machinery" by the ruling Congress in the state. The petition was filed before a division bench of justices Daya Chaudhary and Sudhir Mittal, who further sought report from the Election Commission, asking about the measures being taken to ensure free and fair polls in Gurdaspur.

Actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol, who has been inducted into the BJP in late April, is pitted against Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar, who is the sitting MP from the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat.