BJP's Kapil Mishra faces 48-hr campaigning ban

New Delhi: Cracking the whip, the Election Commission on Saturday imposed a 48-hour campaigning ban on BJP candidate from Delhi's Model Town constituency Kapil Mishra over his controversial tweets.

The ban order, approved by the Chief Election Commissioner and two fellow Election Commissioners, came into force from 5 pm on Saturday, EC officials said.

The order, they said, referred to Mishra's tweets of January 22 and 23. "Delhi mein chote chote Pakistan bane (Number of mini Pakistan has been created in Delhi)", "Shaheen Bagh mein Pakistan ki entry", "India Vs Pakistan February 8 Delhi", and AAP and Congress have created Shaheen Bagh like Pakistan are some of the contents in the tweets the EC order referred to.

While Twitter had taken down one of his controversial tweets on Friday following directions of the EC, an FIR was lodged against him under section 125 of the Representation of the People Act dealing with creating enmity among classes.

The order said the poll panel was not satisfied with Mishra's reply to the show cause notice issued to him.

It charged Mishra with violating provisions of the model code of Conduct dealing with aggravating existing differences or creating mutual hatred.

The order said the EC "condemns" the statements made by the BJP candidate and bars him from holding public meets, taking out public processions, holding rallies and road shows giving interviews and making public utterances in electronic, print and social media.

The EC, using its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution, has barred leaders from campaigning in the past either in states or at national level.

Meanwhile, poll authorities have issued a notice to BJP's Hari Nagar candidate Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga over his campaign video song, asking why its expenditure should not be added to his poll expenses, officials said.

The notice was issued

on Friday by the Hari Nagar constituency's Returning Officer.

"The Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) of West Delhi district had sent an email raising suspicion of paid news in his campaign video song 'Bagga Bagga Har Jagah', following which the notice was sent," a senior official said.

In the notice, he has been asked why the expenditure on the song shouldn't be added to his poll expenses.

Bagga was asked to reply within 48 hours, failing which the "decision of the MCM will be final," the notice said.

The video song uploaded by Bagga on his Twitter

handle has garnered over 12,000 likes and more than 3,000 retweets.

"We are waiting for his response to the notice. Once we receive that then we will decide the future course of action," the official said.