‘Gross violation’: EC tells Karnataka govt to stop welfare scheme ads in Telangana newspapers

The Election Commission yesterday told the Congress government in Karnataka to immediately stop publishing ads on its welfare schemes and achievements in newspapers in Telangana. Telangana votes in its assembly election on November 30.

The ads allegedly appeared in the Hyderabad editions of some newspapers from November 24 to 27. The BJP and BRS had then approached the EC, which found the ads to be in violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

In a letter issued by the EC to Karnataka’s chief secretary, the EC said it had mandated in October that state governments that aren’t holding elections must forward ads to the EC for “clearance” before they were sent to newspapers in poll-bound states.

“The Commission has examined its own records and found that neither such approval was granted by the Commission...nor any such application from the state of Karnataka is found pending,” the letter said. It concluded the ads were in “gross violation of the Commission’s above directions” and that it had taken a “serious view of the said violative act”.

The Karnataka government was directed to “explain the circumstances” that led to the violation of the Model Code of Conduct and to explain “why disciplinary action” shouldn’t be initiated against the state’s DIPR.

The EC also said “further publication of any such advertisements by the government of Karnataka in the state of Telangana shall be stopped forthwith with immediate effect” until approvals had been obtained.

The letter comes days after the EC asked the Rajasthan Congress to explain why it was publishing ads that “look like news items”. Read about it here.