The Congress and the BJP in Assam have lodged complaints with the Election Commission (EC) against each other for allegedly violating the model code of conduct.

Nowgong Congress candidate Pradyut Bordoloi wrote to the EC on Thursday, accusing Assam minister of state for health Pijush Hazarika of conniving with some police officers of Hojai district to influence the polls by threatening Congress members.

The BJP moved the chief electoral officer against a Congress advertisement, being aired by television and FM radio channels, claiming that the BJP violates the model code of conduct.

Bordoloi, in his letter, alleged that Hazarika has been calling Congress office-bearers and workers in Hojai district, asking them to quit the Congress and work for the BJP. He alleged that Hazarika had called Rehan Uddin, president of Binakandi block Congress committee under Jamunamukh Assembly constituency, on his mobile phone on Tuesday and threatened him. He also accused Hojai superintendent of police (SP) Ankur Jain and the officer-in-charge (OC) of Doboka police station of putting pressure on Rehan Uddin to quit the Congress.

Bordoloi not only sought action against Hazarika but also urged the poll panel to transfer the SP and the OC with immediate effect for free and fair elections. Rehan Uddin lodged an FIR at Doboka police station.

Pijush Hazarika Picture by UB Photos

The state BJP, in its letter sent on Wednesday evening, complained that the Congress was telecasting/broadcasting election advertisements on television and FM radio channels. It accused the Congress of making baseless allegations against the BJP and using objectionable words like “BJP murdabad”.

The Congress advertisement criticises the BJP government for its “failure to provide security to women”.

The letter, signed by C.K. Sharma, state convener of the BJP’s committee for coordination with the Election Commission, says, “The advertisement contains some provocative statements, which are creating feeling of enmity and hatred between different classes of citizens in the state. This attracts the provision of Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act and paragraph 2(a) and (b) of instruction 78 of the model code of conduct for political parties.”

State BJP spokesperson Rupam Goswami claimed on Thursday that the party would win all the five seats — Silchar, Karimganj, Mangaldoi, Nowgong and Autonomous District — which went to the polls in on Thursday. He claimed that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, will not be a factor in the polls and accused the Congress, Left parties and KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi of spreading misinformation about it.

“The BJP’s victory is certain as people want to see Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister for a second term. It must not be forgotten that all previous Congress governments were neck-deep in corruption and that the Sarbananda Sonowal government cracked down on corruption in recruitment made by the Assam Public Service Commission,” he said.