Thaindian News

Kolkata, March 25 (IANS) Acting on a complaint by West Bengal’s ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), election authorities will write to the general managers of the three zonal railways and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) commissioner, asking them to remove photographs of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee from their office buildings, an official said Friday.

“We will write to the general managers of South Eastern Railway, Eastern Railway and Metro Railway and the KMC commissioner, asking them to remove all the cutouts and photographs of Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee from the office buildings as mentioned in the Election Commission’s model code of conduct,” said additional chief electoral officer Nikhil Kumar Sahana.

“The letter will be forwarded to them Saturday after chief electoral officer Sunil Gupta returns from Delhi. We will also ask them to submit the compliance report before the EC within three days,” he added.

According to the model code of conduct, no photographs or cutouts of living political leaders can be put up at public places.

CPI-M state secretary Biman Bose March 21 brought to the notice of the CEO that several cutouts and posters of Banerjee were not removed from the railway offices and mayor’s chamber in KMC.

Later the CPI-M representatives also complained to Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi Tuesday.

Mentioning the complaint lodged by the CPI-M, Sahana said: “The decision came after we received a specific complaint that Banerjee’s photographs are being displayed in railway premises which is gross violation of model code of conduct.”

He said so far five candidates belonging to registered political parties and four independent candidates have filed nominations in six north Bengal districts, which will go to polls in the first phase April 18.

The six-phase elections to the West Bengal assembly will be held between April 18 and May 10.