The Election Commission of India, taking stern note of the comments against chief minister Mamata Banerjee by the BJP's Tamluk candidate, Abhijit Gangopadhyay, "strongly censured" him and imposed a 24-hour ban on his campaigning activities from 5pm on Tuesday.

Gangopadhyay, however, threatened to move court if the commission didn't reconsider its decision.

The 24-hour ban apart, the commission's letter also said that it "strongly warns Shri Abhijit Gangopadhyay to remain careful in public utterances during the currency of Model Code of Conduct".

The commission's censure comes following a showcause notice to Gangopadhyay on May 17. The poll body held the former judge of Calcutta High Court responsible for making improper, injudicious, and undignified" remarks about the Bengal chief minister at a rally in Tamluk on May 15.

Tamluk will vote in the sixth phase on May 25.

The EC directive also had a reference to its advisory after the Lok Sabha poll dates were announced, where it had asked political parties and candidates to avoid actions or utterances that could be seen as dishonouring women.

The commission, deeming the words used by Gangopadhyay "abominable" and a "low-level personal attack" has also requested BJP national president J.P. Nadda "to issue a specific advisory to all party functionaries involved in election campaign and interaction in public domain not to commit such type of violation which is repugnant to the honour and dignity of women''.

Gangopadhyay, who has written to the EC to reconsider its decision, said: "In my reply to the showcause notice, I had requested the commission to allow me to give a supplementary reply but the commission didn't give me any chance and has issued the directive. This cannot happen." Gangopadhyay had sent his reply to the EC on May 20.

"Rekha Patra (the BJP's Basirhat candidate) cannot have self-respect, I cannot have self-respect but everyone else will have self-respect — this cannot happen. I shall move court against the (commission's) decision," Gangopadhyay added.

The issue came to the fore after Trinamool complained to the EC with a video clip on May 16 accusing Gangopadhyay of making derogatory statements against the chief minister in a public meeting in Haldia's Chaitanyapur.

Reacting to the EC's censure, Trinamool candidate from Tamluk Debangshu Bhattacharya said: "Abhijit Gangopadhyay was trying to become the Bengali bhadralok (genteel) face in the BJP, but unfortunately he was punished for using foul language in his first election. Actually, everyone in the BJP uses bad words, some immediately, some a little later."

"The Election Commission has done the right thing. There is no place for indecency in politics. The comments made by Abhijit Gangopadhyay show his mentality...," CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty said.

The BJP appeared to distance itself from Gangopadhyay's remarks.

Asked to comment on Tuesday's development, a BJP leader, who didn't want to be named, said: "Our party holds women in the highest regard.... The comments made by Abhijit Gangopadhyay were his personal opinion. The party doesn't believe this."