Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), May 12: Congress leader and candidate from Varanasi, Ajay Rai on Monday said that the wearing of the Congress symbol while casting his vote was purely unintentional .
“I did not wear it intentionally; Wore same clothes which I had worn the day before yesterday on which the symbol was attached. Nobody, including the polling officials, raised any objection when I went to vote inside the polling booth. Later on I came to know that the BJP had complained against it. In the case of Modi, they never raised an objection, and now, they are doing it, which shows their double standards,” Rai said.
Commenting on the Election Commission directing the Varanasi Returning Officer to file an FIR or complaint against him, he replied, “I haven’t done this with any intention. If the EC sends any notice to me, then I will reply to it.”
The Election Commission on Monday directed the Varanasi Returning Officer to file an FIR or complaint against Congress candidate Ajai Rai for displaying his party symbol, which is barred on the voting day.
The poll body has asked the returning officer to file an FIR under Sections 126 and 130 of Representation of Peoples Act (RPA) against Rai.
Earlier, after a complaint was forwarded to the EC about Rai wearing his party’s symbol, the poll body asked for CCTV footage of the controversial act.
At that time, Rai, defending himself, said he had the right to wear the symbol as a candidate. He also claimed his case could not be compared with that of Modi, who flashed the BJP symbol and took a selfie just outside the polling booth where he voted and addressed a press conference in Gandhinagar constituency.
