BJP moves EC on Akhilesh's smartphone offer for poor

BJP on Wednesday moved the Election Commission against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's announcement of free smartphones for the poor, claiming it violates the Model Code of Conduct.

BJP MP Rajendra Agarwal, in a letter to the EC, alleged that Yadav's freebie scheme, announced just before the 2017 UP elections, was in clear violation of the model code conduct because it is aimed at luring people into voting for the Samajwadi Party (SP). "Yadav himself has appealed people to register for phones.

The scheme's purpose is to ensure SP's win in the elections," he said. He added even though phones will be distributed if the SP wins and in the latter half of 2017, the move was "encouraging" people to vote for it. Online registration for phones begin next month and so the EC must act fast to stop this process and ensure free and fair elections in UP, he said. Agarwal alleged SP leaders were announcing the scheme in election campaigns and propaganda material, which was too in violation of the model code of conduct. P