Three Shivsena Corporators get showcause notice over poll code violation

Three Shiv Sena corporators, including a former mayor, have been served showcause notice for violating the election code of conduct, barely one week after it was set in motion.

 

Surprisingly, it was Sena corporator Abhishek Ghoshalkar who complained to the assistant municipal commissioner of R-North ward that former mayor Shubha Raul, corporator Sheetal Mhatre and nominated corporator Avkash Jadhav had inaugurated a civic garden after the code of conduct was in place, following which the showcause notice was sent to them on Tuesday.

 

The three corporators claimed they haven’t violated the poll code as the garden was inaugurated on January 10 and they only attended an event there on January 14.

 

Civic officials said Ghoshalkar had sent the complaint to assistant municipal commissioner Vijay Kamble on WhatsApp along with pictures of Raul, Mhatre and Jadhva inaugurating a civic garden in LIC Colony on January 14 at 5pm. “The state election commission announced the day for the BMC polls on January 11, following which the code of conduct set in from 4pm,” said the showcause notice. “Neither was permission of the ward office obtained for the event nor was any ward official present there.” TOI has a copy of the showcause notice.

 

Raul told TOI she has already sent her reply to the ward office. “The showcause notice wrongly mentions that we indulged into sloganeering and tried to influence the voters. However, nothing on those lines was done. In fact, the garden inauguration was done on January 10. We only attended a Makar Sankranti programme organized by a local NGO on January 14,” said the former mayor.

 

Mhatre too has sent a reply on the same lines and also apologized in case they have violated the poll code in any way.