Lok Sabha Elections 2019: BJP’s Jodhpur candidate Shekhawat denies violating code of conduct

Union agricultural minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Jodhpur Lok Sabha seat Gajendra Singh Shekhawat — who received a notice from the election department for violating the model code of conduct (MCC) — has denied all the allegations in his written reply to the department.

The election department on April 15 had issued a show-cause notice to Shekhawat on MCC violation.

Shekhawat had addressed a public meeting at Pokhran town in Jaisalmer on April 14. A video of his speech had gone viral on social media in which, Shekhawat is seen threatening officials: “I want to warn the administration from this dais; this is not the last election and government will change in next five years. ‘Mere paas ek-ek ki janam patri hai, ulta nahi latka doon toh mera naam Gajendra Singh nahi,’ (I have records of everyone, will hang (them) upside down or else my name won’t be Gajendra Singh).”

Apart from denial, Shekhawat also had levelled serious allegation on chief minister Ashok Gehlot, saying “because the son of chief minister is contesting election against him, entire state machinery, at the behest of the present chief minister, is acting malafidely against him and his supporters”.

The CM’s son, Vaibhav Gehlot, is the Congress candidate who is pitted against Shekhawat from the Jodhpur Lok Sabha seat.

In his reply to district election officer in Jaisalmer, he alleged that as the CM’s son is contesting, some state administration officers who are close to the CM are creating unnecessary trouble for him and his party workers, to be in the good books of the CM.

Shekhawat claimed that his words are being “stretched and twisted in an unfair manner to impart a different meaning than what he originally intended to convey through his speeches”. The BJP candidate claimed that he only “demanded that a fair and impartial process be adopted by the state administration while overseeing the Lok Sabha elections and in case of any further bias, he would be constrained to take appropriate action against them”.

He said his words should not be taken literally but read as a metaphor for strict resilience and protest against his perceived disruption of his electoral campaigning activities by a biased state administration, abusing its powers at the instance of his opponent, whose father is the CM.

Shekhawat mentioned in his reply that the election department has not informed him about the source on the basis of which the allegation has been made. He said there is a settled law that any allegation against any person must be backed by evidence, which substantiated by documents or through the personal knowledge of the complainant.

He said as the notice is not issued properly, he is not in a position to respond. He requested to supply the copies of the evidence based on which the allegation has been made.

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In the notice, there is a general allegation that he had violated the Model Code of Conduct, but election officials have not specified which provision of the MCC has been violated. In the absence of any charge that any specific provision has been violated, it is not possible for him to make any submission in his defence, he added and demanded a clarification on the provision/s.

He alleged that election department has issued the notice solely based upon a biased and mala fide campaign by the CM to sabotage his poll campaign and aid the prospects of his son. Shekhawat also demanded time for personal hearing.

In this matter Jai Narayan Vyas University, Jodhpur, student union president Sunil Choudhary filed a complaint with the district collector on Monday, seeking action against Shekhawat.

In the notice issued to Shekhawat, election department has mentioned that he had violated of election code and prima facie he also violated Indian Penal Code section 189. However, he had denied the allegation of violating the said IPC section.

Namit Mehta, district election officer in Jaisalmer told HT that Shekhawat had submitted his written reply and denied all the allegations. Mehta said they have forwarded the case to the election commission for the further action.

Meanwhile, a disc containing the speech had been provided to Shekhawat by the election department as evidence which he had requested in his written reply, said sources in the election department.