New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) The Congress Monday met Election Commisson and complained about “cases of total subordination” of the Uttar Pradesh administration by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government, alleging officials had been turned into spokespersons for the ruling party.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who was in the party delegation, said they had also given very strong points in respect of the notice issued to Law Minister Salman Khurshid by the commission. Khurshid was given notice over his promise to provide nine percent quota to backward Muslims in Uttar Pradesh if the Congress was voted to power.

Singhvi said the party had brought to the attention of the commission, “very grave violations of the level playing field by the UP (Uttar Pradesh) government officials”.

“We have named them, given their districts, their areas and their designations and we have said they were nothing more and nothing less than the spokesperson of the ruling BSP, which is completely impermissible in electoral process,” Singhvi said, adding that officials both “at very senior positions and at the bottom” had been turned into party spokespersons.

Singhvi declined to reveal names of officials named in the Congress complaint.

He also said the delegation also told the poll panel how movement of publicity material was being hindered.

“There is a confusion in the minds of the authorities who are acting as if candidates have been declared. A large number of these regulatory mechanisms do not come into play unless and until you and I are candidates and that confusion has to be clarified,” he said.

On the notice against Khurshid, Singhvi said the party has given a short summary of its objections.

Party sources said a hearing on the notice to Khurshid is expected to take place Jan 19.