Mistry demands transfer of DEO, police commissioner

VADODARA: A day after he was booked for defaming BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi, Congress Vadodara candidate Madhusudan Mistry has demanded transfers of district election officer (DEO) Vinod Rao and city police commissioner Satish Sharma. Mistry accused both Rao and Sharma of siding with Modi ahead of the polls and alleged that the duo is trying to intimidate him. He has written to the Election Commission of India (ECI) demanding transfers of Sharma and Rao.
Mistry, who sat on dharna in the city on Wednesday, said that if Rao and Sharma are not shifted out of Vadodara then the elections held here will be a farce. "The DEO and police commissioner are trying to please Modi so that they can get plum posts after elections. The pamphlets on the basis of which FIR was registered has been cleared by the ECI. If the election commission didn't object to the content then why did the police register FIR? And I have not used any defamatory words against anyone," Mistry said.
"These pamphlets are being distributed by Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) across the state. Why was the FIR registered in Vadodara? This is being done to intimidate me," he added. He sat on dharna with several Congress leaders at the Mahatma Gandhi Nagargruh on Wednesday.
Rao said that they will always take proper steps to ensure that elections are held in free and fair manner. "Whatever action we take is done after consulting the ECI and chief electoral officer. We will not get pressurized and, if required, take necessary action in future too," Rao said.
Sharma too said that the police are committed to hold elections in free and fair manner and whatever action was taken was done as per the law. Mistry was booked after BJP registered complaint about some pamphlets that accused Modi of being a 'duraachari' and indulging in snooping and phone tapping.