The Election Commission (EC) on Friday booked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and incumbent Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya for posting a video on a social media platform and allegedly "soliciting votes on the ground of the religion."
"Case is booked against Tejasvi Surya MP and Candidate of Bengaluru South PC on 25.04.24 at Jayanagar PS u/s 123(3) for posting a video in X handle and soliciting votes on the ground of religion," Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka posted on X.
The case has been filed with Jayanagar police station in Bengaluru.
On Thursday, the BJP MP shared a video on X, showcasing the 'Surya Tilak' ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, accompanied by the statement: "Our generation was blessed to witness the majestic Surya Tilak on Bhagwan Shri Ram at Ayodhya on Ram Navami. A wait of almost 500 years & a wish of crores of Bharatiyas was fulfilled by PM Shri @narendramodi Ji. For Bharatiyata to survive, vote for BJP!"
It is to be noted that the EC's Model Code of Conduct (MCC) clearly states: "No party or candidate shall include in any activity which may aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic."
The MCC also states: "There shall be no appeal to caste or communal feelings for securing votes. Mosques, Churches, Temples or other places of worship shall not be used as forum for election propaganda."
Earlier today, the BJP MP cast his vote in Bengaluru and claimed that the Congress party may not win more than 30 seats in the general elections. He is contesting against Congress candidate Sowmya Reddy, daughter of Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy.
Karnataka is voting on 14 seats today in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections. In the first phase, the Congress contested in all 14 seats, while the BJP fielded nominees in 11 and its alliance partner JD(S), which joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in September last year, in three -- Hassan, Mandya and Kolar.