'Erase-ink' remark: EC tells Pawar to be careful in future

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Tuesday expressed its "displeasure" at Union minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar's controversial where he asked voters to "erase ink and vote twice" and asked him to be more careful with his words and conduct in the future.

While holding that his call to voters to vote at more than once place violated Section 171D of the Indian Penal Code, the commission however, in view of his regretting the remarks, decided not to pursue the matter further.

"The commission conveys its displeasure to you and expects you, as a senior politician and president of a national party, to be careful in future to ensure that by words/conduct you do not violate model code of conduct," the EC told Pawar in its ruling.

In his reply to the EC notice over his remarks at a rally on March 24 in Mumbai, asking NCP supporters to cast their vote in both Satara and Mumbai by erasing ink from their forefinger after the first vote, Pawar had argued that his speech did not amount to abetting or procuring votes by impersonation.

Reminding the EC that he had clarified his aforesaid statement in a subsequent press release, the NCP supremo said he "deeply regrets the confusion and misunderstanding" caused due to the inadvertent act bordering on breach of model code of conduct.

The commission on Tuesday said it was not satisfied with Pawar's explanation, and ruled that he had overlooked Section 171D of the IPC, which lists voting more than once even in one's own name as an electoral offence of impersonation. "Thus your call to voters to vote at more than once place is in violation of the law," it said.

The poll panel however, decided against directing registration of an FIR against Pawar, in view of his "expression of regrets in your reply (to the EC notice served on March 25)".