On Tuesday, the Election Commission (EC) barred former Calcutta High Court judge and BJP's Tamluk candidate, Abhijit Gangopadhyay, from campaigning for 24 hours due to his derogatory remarks against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The ban takes effect from 17:00 hrs on May 21. Additionally, the Commission issued a stern warning to Gangopadhyay to be mindful of his public statements during the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct.
The EC's decision follows Gangopadhyay's response to a show-cause notice issued by the Commission, prompted by a complaint from the Trinamool Congress regarding his remarks made during a public meeting on May 15 in Haldia. Gangopadhyay is contesting the Tamluk seat in West Bengal, with voting scheduled for May 25. In its notice, the EC stated that Gangopadhyay's comments were "beyond dignity in every sense of the term" and "in bad taste," constituting a prima facie violation of the Model Code of Conduct and its advisory to political parties.
Gangopadhyay is the fourth politician in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections to receive a notice for undignified remarks against women. Previously, the EC censured BJP senior leader Dilip Ghosh and Congress' Supriya Shrinate for their comments against Mamata Banerjee and Kangana Ranaut, respectively.