Case against BJP’s Tejasvi Surya for ‘soliciting votes on ground of religion’
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has initiated legal action against Tejasvi Surya, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament, and the candidate in the present election as well, from Bengaluru South, for sharing a video on social media urging voters to support him based on religious grounds.
The case, involving a violation of the model code of conduct, has been registered at the Jayanagar Police Station in Bengaluru. The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) announced, “A case has been registered against Tejasvi Surya MP and Candidate of Bengaluru South PC on 25.04.24 at Jayanagar PS under section 123(3) for posting a video on ‘X’ platform and soliciting votes on the basis of religion.”
Section 123(3) of the Representation of the People Act (RPA) prohibits candidates or their representatives from making appeals to voters based on religion, race, caste, community or language, or using religious or national symbols to influence the outcome of elections.
