Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Election Commission has written to President Ram Nath Kovind bringing to his notice the statements of Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh over his public remarks of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) victory in 2019 Lok Sabha elections that violates the Moral Code of Conduct.
The poll panel wrote to the president after confirming that his remarks were seeking the second term for Prime minister Narendra Modi which violates the Code after being in effect.
“We all are BJP workers and we want BJP to emerge victoriously. We want that once again Modiji should become the PM. It is important for the country,” said Kalyan Singh as reported by the news agency ANI in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh.
According to the constitution of India, a Governor is supposed to not have any political inclination or affiliation with any party and should be holding a neutral stance when it comes to the elections.
When these comments were reported, the Rashtrapati Bhavan or President’s office had said that “no one in a constitutional post is permitted to campaign” for anyone.
The Election Commission has sought a report from Uttar Pradesh Chief electoral officer. the transcript received from the report confirmed that in spite of holding a constitutional position that does not adher to political inclination, Kalayan singh has mentioned himself as BJP worker.
This is the second time that EC has found a governor to violate the rules in the election procedure and moral code of conduct. In 1993, Gulsher Ahmed, Himachal Governor campaigned for his son, Sayeed Ahmed in a constituency from where he was contesting, he was alleged to have violated the code of conduct and was dismissed from his post.
Kalyan Singh has served as a chief minister of UP from 1991 to 1992. He quit BJP in 1999 and returned in 2004. He was appointed as the governor of Rajasthan in 2014 after BJP’s victory in the Lok Sabha elections.