MP: BJP candidate Premshankar Verma booked for violating model code of conduct

Hoshangabad (Madhya Pradesh) [India]: Premshankar Verma, a BJP candidate from the Seoni-Malwa Assembly constituency of poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, was booked for a violation of the model code of conduct (MCC) on Tuesday.

It was alleged that Verma, a sitting ruling party MLA from the Seoni-Malwa segment, held a rally in a temple without seeking permission from the authorities concerned.

He was booked on the basis of a complaint filed by Nationalist Bharat Party candidate Narendra Raghuvanshi, who also posted a video of the rally on social media platform X.

“We received a complaint alleging a violation of the Model Code of Conduct at the Shri Ram Janaki temple by the BJP candidate from Seoni Malwa, Premshankar Verma. Our Static Surveillance Team (SST) team examined the video and determined that the election model code had, indeed, been violated,” Sub-Divisional Police Officer Akanksha Chaturvedi told media.

This is the first case of violation of the model code registered in the district.

Verma was also booked under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to deliberate disobedience of an order given by a public servant.

Madhya Pradesh will poll for the Assembly in a single phase on November 17 and the counting will take place on December 3.