Bengal polls: EC imposes 24-hour campaign ban on BJP's Sayantan Basu, TMC's Sujata Mondal

The Election Commission on Sunday imposed a 24-hour campaign ban on BJP leader Sayantan Basu and Sujata Mondal of the Trinamool Congress for their controversial remarks during the ongoing assembly polls in West Bengal.

The bar on campaigning by the leaders will be in force from 7pm on April 18 to 7pm on April 19. In an order, the poll panel said it had carefully considered Mondal's reply to it notice which does not justify the relevant portions of her statement "denigrating the Scheduled Caste community in West Bengal".

"Now, therefore, the Commission hereby sternly warns Sujata Mondal and advises her to desist from using such statement while making public utterances during the period when the Model Code of Conduct is in force," according to the order. Basu was issued a notice for his remarks that "if you kill one we will kill four of you."


The order on Basu said the Commission "sternly warns and condemns Sayantan Basu and strongly advised him to desist from using such statement while making public utterances during the period when the Model Code of Conduct is in force." Besides warning the leaders against making such statements, the poll panel imposed a ban on campaigning by them.