Delhi municipal byoplls: Poll body issues notice to 3 officers over govt advertisement

A day before the bypoll in five Delhi municipal seats, the State Election Commission issued a show-cause notice to Principal Secretary (Revenue) Sanjeev Khirwar and two officers of the Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP) seeking their reply on an advertisement on 20 percent reduction in circle rates in the city.

In the notice issued to Khirwar, DIP secretary Padmini Singla and director Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, the Commission said that prima facie, the advertisement violates the model code of conduct.

Five municipal wards --- Shalimar Bagh, Rohini-C, Trilokpuri, Kalyanpuri and Chauhan Bangar -- will go to poll on Sunday.

On Saturday, an advertisement on the Delhi government's recent decision on a 20 percent reduction in circle rates appeared in several newspapers.

''It has come to the notice of the Commission that an advertisement is published in various national newspapers just before the day of the poll at the cost of the public exchequer for publicity regarding achievements with a view to furthering the prospects of the party in power,'' the notice stated.

It also stated, ''The Commission is, prima facie, of the view that by the said advertisement, the provision of the Model Code of Conduct has been violated.'' The three officers have been asked to reach the commission by 4 pm on Saturday as the poll is scheduled on Sunday.

On Friday, all three parties -- the Aam Aadmi Party, BJP and the Congress -- claimed that they would emerge victorious in the contest.

Voting for the municipal bypolls will be held in the five wards from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm on Sunday. The results will be announced on March 3.