Telangana polling: KTR commemorates Deeksha Diwas during silent period; Congress seeks action

Hyderabad: Even as the ‘silent period’ is prevailing in Telangana State prior to the polling day on November 30, there seems to be no dearth of allegations of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations.

In the latest instance, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) members have alleged that minister and working president of BRS KT Rama Rao, has violated the election code by organising programmes related to Deeksha Diwas on November 29, with less than 24 hours left for polling.

In a letter addressed to Vikas Raj, state chief electoral officer (CEO), TPCC senior vice-president and chairman of the Election Commission Coordination Committee (ECCC) G Niranjan said that KTR has violated the rules for the silent period by giving a call to the BRS cadre to observe Deeksha Diwas throughout the state and by conducting programmes like blood donation camp at the party office. KTR was seen appealing about observing Deeksha Diwas on one of the TV channels, which also telecast visuals of chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s hunger strike in 2009, which marks Deeksha Diwas.

“Section 144 is in force and such activities are prohibited and the electronic media is also prohibited from telecasting the programmes, which are expected to influence the voters,” wrote Niranjan and added, “Please take immediate action and direct the DEOs, DGPs and SPs to do the same. Please stop the electronic media from telecasting such programmes.”

As per some newspaper reports, a couple of days ago, KTR had called for Deeksha Diwas programmes on November 29 to mark the commencement of the hunger strike of KCR in 2009 when he was agitating for a separate statehood for Telangana.

However, as per the norms of EC, all political campaigns and public gatherings by political parties should be stopped from the evening of November 28. CEO Vikas Raj had earlier clarified that all canvassing by political parties should be stopped from November 28, 48 hours prior to the polling date. “Section 144 will be promulgated from November 28 and no public gathering of more than five persons or political campaigns would be allowed by any party,” he said.