Cong lodges complaint with EC against BJP's Wadiyar

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against BJP's Mysore - Kodagu Lok Sabha constituency candidate Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar for his alleged involvement in bribery in violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

In a letter to Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer on Saturday, the KPCC alleged that Wadiyar has engaged in actions that egregiously contravene the MCC, posing a severe threat to the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.

"Wadiyar has orchestrated a meeting with several influential personalities on social media platforms, with the explicit purpose of soliciting their support and influence for his electoral campaign. During this meeting, which was clandestinely conducted, Wadiyar made attempts to sway these influencers by offering them materialistic inducements, including personalised notebooks, pens, chocolates, sarees, and sweets," it alleged.

The letter stated that the most alarming aspect of this meeting was the "brazen distribution" of substantial amounts of money to these influencers in exchange for their unequivocal support and promotion of his candidacy.

"This act of distributing money to sway influencers not only violates the principles of free and fair elections but also constitutes a grave offense,'' it said.