The complaint demanded debarment of Soundararajan from participating in any future election campaigns, and disqualification of Kishan Reddy.
Tamilisai Soundararajan with Ram mandir replica. (X)
The BRS party legal cell has filed a complaint against former Governor and BJP MP candidate for South Chennai Tamilisai Soundararajan for violating the Model Code of Conduct.
Soundararajan, who campaigned in Hyderabad as part of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections has distributed a replica of the Ayodhya Ram temple in the MLA colony, Banjara Hills of Hyderabad.
The ex-Governor was campaigning for BJP’s Secunderabad MP candidate G Kishan Reddy.
In the complaint addressed to the CEO and CEC, BRS general secretary M Sreenivas Reddy urged the CEO to take strict and swift action against Soundararajan and Kishan Reddy.
The complaint referred to a news article published in a Telugu daily.
Citing the Model Code of Conduct, the missive stated, “The act of distributing religious symbols such as replicas of Ram Mandir for political gains is a blatant violation of the MCC, which prohibits the use of religion for electoral purposes.”
“This action not only undermines the principles of a free and fair election but also seeks to leverage religious sentiments to influence voters to favour a particular party and candidate,” it further said.
The complaint further demanded immediate debarment of Soundararajan from participating in any future election campaigns, and disqualification of BJP’s contesting candidate Kishan Reddy, for benefitting from the illegal campaign practices of Soundararajan.
Invoking Section 123(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (RP Act), they urged the EC to take immediate action to uphold the sanctity of the electoral process.
The complaint also asked the EC to give a direction to delete the said content and desist the same from publishing in media “Which may have a negative impact on the voters.”
The complaint read: “Any misuse of religious sentiments for political purposes must be condemned, and strict actions should be taken to deter such misconduct in the future.”
Tamilisai Soundararajan, who was the Governor of Telangana from 2019 to March 2024, was often at loggerheads with the then ruling BRS government.
In March 2024, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, she resigned as the Governor to join the BJP. Soundararajan later contested from South Chennai on a BJP ticket.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)
May 20, 2024
May 20, 2024
May 20, 2024
May 19, 2024
May 19, 2024
May 19, 2024
![[Left] File photo of BJP MLA Harish Poonja, who has been booked, and [right] Poonja sitting for a protest in front of Belthangady Police Station in the early hours of Sunday, 19 May, 2024.](https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media.thesouthfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Harish-Poonja-and-Belthangady.jpg "Harish Poonja and Belthangady")
