Calling for PM Modi’s win, Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh violated code, finds poll panel

Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh courted controversy last week when he told reporters in Aligarh on March 23 that everyone wants Modi to win and that it’s necessary for the country.

Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh.

The Election Commission has found Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh’s remark that Narendra Modi should be re-elected as the Prime Minister violative of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and will write to President Ram Nath Kovind to bring it to his notice, The Indian Express has learnt.

The last time a state Governor was found violating the Code was in the early 90s when Gulsher Ahmad, the then Governor of Himachal Pradesh, was pulled up by the EC for campaigning for his son Sayeed Ahmed in Madhya Pradesh. He quit the post when the Commission expressed displeasure over the misuse of official machinery for his son’s poll campaign. Read in Tamil, Malayalam

Singh courted controversy last week when he told reporters in Aligarh on March 23 that everyone wants Modi to win and that it’s necessary for the country.

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“Hum sabhi log BJP ke karyakarta hai aur iss naatey se hum zaroor chahengey ke BJP vijai ho. Sab chahengey ek baar phir sey kendra mein Modiji pradhanmantri banein. Modiji ka pradhanmantri banna ye desh ke liye avashyak hai, samaaj ke liye avashyak hai (We are all BJP workers, so we will want the BJP to win. Everyone will want Modi to become PM again. Modi becoming PM is necessary for the nation and society),” he had said on March 23.

Singh made the comments in an apaprent bid to quell protests by party workers after the BJP, on March 21, announced sitting MP Satish Gautam’s name as candidate from Aligarh again.

As first reported by The Indian Express on March 30, the Commission sought a factual report from the UP Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) last week.

Also read | Kalyan for Modi as PM again, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot points to Governor duty

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The EC, after examining the report, is learnt to have decided that Singh’s remarks disrupt the level-playing field, and hence, violate the MCC.

Ritika Chopra

Ritika Chopra, an award-winning journalist with over 17 years of experience, serves as the Chief of the National Bureau (Govt) and National Education Editor at The Indian Express in New Delhi. In her current role, she oversees the newspaper's coverage of government policies and education. Ritika closely tracks the Union Government, focusing on the politically sensitive Election Commission of India and the Education Ministry, and has authored investigative stories that have prompted government responses. Ritika joined The Indian Express in 2015. Previously, she was part of the political bureau at The Economic Times, India’s largest financial daily. Her journalism career began in Kolkata, her birthplace, with the Hindustan Times in 2006 as an intern, before moving to Delhi in 2007. Since then, she has been reporting from the capital on politics, education, social sectors, and the Election Commission of India. ... Read More

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