The Election Commission on Wednesday said that Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's stay in Dumka was not violation of Model Code of Conduct as he represented the Dumka Assembly seat.
Opposition had on Tuesday claimed that Soren's stay in Dumka after election campaigning ended was violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
Referring to protests by BJP and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantric-JVM), Chief Electoral Officer PK Jajoria said the chief minister's staying in Dumka after end of the campaigning was not violation of MCC. "The only thing was that Soren should not campaign," he said. The chief minister's father and JMM supremo Shibu Soren is contesting from Dumka LS seat, which goes to poll on Thursday, triggering the din by the BJP and JVM.
BJP state unit president Ravindra Rai on Tuesday claimed that the chief minister was a voter in Ranchi and not in Dumka. Rai had said under the Representation of the People Act, the presence of political functionaries, who have been brought from outside the constituency and who are not voters of the constituency, should not continue to remain present in the constituency as their continued presence after campaign ends may undermine the atmosphere for free and fair poll.
Another BJP leader and former chief minister Arjun Munda on Thursday said, "He (Soren) should not stay in Dumka as the chief minister's post is a constitutional seat."
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