BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Sunday urged the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to put a ban on the entry of Higher Education Minister Rohit Pujari into the Padampur Assembly constituency for alleged violation of the model code of conduct.
A delegation of BJP led by party general secretary Lekhashree Samantsinghar went to the office of the CEO to voice its protest against the minister for attending a meeting of teachers of government schools and colleges organised by the head of the history department of a college in Padampur on Saturday.
In a memorandum to the CEO, the BJP said the meeting was held on the premises of Jayadev Institute of Science and Technology, Padampur. Kiran Panda, the wife of the history lecturer is the owner of the technical institute and a public school. The minister held discussions with the teaching and non-teaching staff of government and government-aided colleges about the distribution of money among the voters, alleged Samantsinghar.
“Panda, as a government servant, organising meetings for the ruling BJD to facilitate the distribution of money amounts to a criminal offence. We demand his immediate arrest and action against him as per the law,” the memorandum said.
Action under sections 123 and 171 of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951 should be initiated against the minister for misusing his position and encouraging government employees in charge of election duty to work in favour of BJD, she said. The BJP delegation requested the CEO to work impartially and ban the minister from entering the constituency.