{"id":203072,"date":"2024-04-27T15:10:58","date_gmt":"2024-04-27T09:40:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/?p=203072"},"modified":"2024-04-30T23:13:04","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T17:43:04","slug":"ram-mandir-all-over-bjps-election-campaign-in-brazen-disregard-to-poll-code-representation-of-people-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/ram-mandir-all-over-bjps-election-campaign-in-brazen-disregard-to-poll-code-representation-of-people-act\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Ram Mandir’ all over BJP’s election campaign in brazen disregard to poll code, Representation of People Act"},"content":{"rendered":"

The official X handle of Karnataka chief electoral officer on April 26 announced that action had been initiated against sitting Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya for posting a video on his X handle and soliciting votes on the grounds of religion. A case was lodged at Jayanagar police station in Bengaluru on April 25 against Surya under Section 123(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Police sources told The Hindu<\/a> that they \u200bhad taken cognizance of a tweet by Surya where he allegedly sought votes citing the Ram Mandir and asked people to vote for Modi for \u201ca better and secure future.\u201d\u200b<\/p>\n

The said tweet was shared by the BJP Yuva Morcha national president on April 25.<\/p>\n

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Our generation was blessed to witness the majestic Surya Tilak on Bhagwan Shri Ram at Ayodhya on Ram Navami.<\/p>\n

A wait for almost 500 years & a wish of crores of Bharatiyas was fulfilled by PM Shri @narendramodi<\/a> Ji.<\/p>\n

For Bharatiyata to survive, vote for BJP!#DakshinakkeSurya<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/4B0ti6pT1B<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Tejasvi Surya (\u0cae\u0ccb\u0ca6\u0cbf\u0caf \u0caa\u0cb0\u0cbf\u0cb5\u0cbe\u0cb0) (@Tejasvi_Surya) April 25, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Section 123(3) of The Representation of the People Act, 1951, under which elections are held in India, prohibits a candidate from seeking votes “on the ground of his religion, race, caste, community or language or the use of, or appeal to religious symbols…” and designates these as ‘corrupt practices’.<\/p>\n

The tweet by the BJP’s Bengaluru South also violated provisions of the election model code of conduct<\/a> (MCC), which had come into effect<\/a> on March 19 with the announcement of the 2024 general elections. Serial No. 3 of ‘General Conduct’ under the MCC states, “There shall be no appeal to caste or communal feelings for securing votes. Mosques, Churches, Temples or other places of worship shall not be used as forum for election propaganda.” Serial No. 4 requires parties and candidates to “avoid scrupulously all activities which are \u201ccorrupt practices\u201d and offences under the election law.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When Alt News went through the official X handles of BJP and its various state units, we found that the Ram Mandir issue, photos of the newly-built temple in Ayodhya and the idol of Ram and religious tropes were used rampantly in visuals while seeking votes, in blatant defiance of the above provisions of the MCC and the Act.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Official X Handle of BJP (@BJP4India)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I<\/span>n the past few weeks, both <\/span>Prime Minister Modi<\/span><\/a> and Union home minister <\/span>Amit Shah<\/span><\/a> have asserted that the Ram Mandir is not a poll plank for the BJP. However, the fact is that the Ram Mandir construction<\/span>\u00a0in Ayodhya has been a major election promise for the BJP for decades. It featured prominently in BJP’s 2019 election manifesto<\/a> alongside matters like abrogation of Article 370. This election season, top BJP leaders, including PM Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah have used the Ram Mandir issue to seek votes and even described Congress leaders as anti-Hindu for not accepting invitation<\/a> to the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in January this year in speech after speech.<\/p>\n

Below, readers can find a handful of the many tweets by the official X handle of the BJP (@BJP4India) where the party used visuals of the Ram Mandir or related ones to woo voters. Several of these posts draw a direct correlation between the temple and votes for the BJP. We have highlighted some part of some of these tweets which clearly seek to divide the electorate stoking religious sentiments vis-a-vis the Ram Mandir issue.<\/p>\n