Kolkata: Abhijit Gangopadhyay, a BJP candidate and former Calcutta High Court judge, was censured by the Election Commission on Tuesday for his remarks criticising West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He was also prohibited from campaigning for a whole day.
The Election Commission (EC) called Gangopadhyay's comment a "low-level personal attack" and claimed that it was against the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The EC order would take effect on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m.
Gangopadhyay on Monday sent his reply to the show-cause notice issued by the EC for his "undignified" remark against Banerjee.
"The commission has carefully gone through the contents and averments made in the aforesaid reply of Abhijit Gangopadhyay and has again gone through the statement made and is convinced that he has made a low-level personal attack and thus violated the provisions of MCC.
"Now, therefore, the commission hereby strongly censures Gangopadhyay for the above-said misconduct and debars him from campaigning for 24 hours starting from 5 pm of May 21," the order said.
The poll body also warned Gangopadhyay, the BJP's Tamluk candidate, to remain careful in his public utterances during the campaign.
The EC acted on a complaint by the Trinamool Congress against Gangopadhyay for his remarks against Banerjee while addressing a public meeting held on May 15 in Haldia.
With PTI inputs