Poll code being followed in violation

LUCKNOW: Hours after Varun Gandhi was hauled up by the EC for wearing rabid Hinduism on his sleeves, another high profile candidate Sanjay Dutt could be heading for a similar brush off. Carried away by a heady reception in Lucknow -- the constituency he wishes to represent Supreme Court willing - Sanju Baba decided to do an impromptu Munna Bhai and paid an unscheduled visit to a degree college during exam time.
The actor-turned-politician may have to do lot of explaining after a lobby of student leaders, said to be close to the BSP candidate from Lucknow, Akhilesh Das, dashed off a complaint under 188 IPC - violation of section 144 to the commission.Taking cognizance of the issue district magistrate Lucknow has ordered a probe.
According to charges, Dutt arrived at National Degree college on Tuesday afternoon with about 150 of his supporters. The surprise visit led to much commotion on the campus and students vied with each other to catch a glimpse of the star or to wave/shake hands with him. The crowd of fans following Dutt around included the BCom examinees, who should have been sitting in the halls writing papers instead. The incident blew into a controversy after it was widely reportedly the local newspapers.
"We are awaiting the report by the ACM(E) RS Premi who has been appointed the inquiry officer," district magistrate, Lucknow, Chandra Bhanu, told TOI on Wednesday. He had already directed the principal of the college to furnish his version and the finding will be forwarded to the Election Commission for suitable action, the officer said.
Tuesday proved to be particularly inauspicious for another candidate from Lucknow - the BJP veteran Lalji Tandon. The protege of Atal Bihari Vajpayee could find himself under the EC scanner after the district president of BSP Akhilesh Ambedkar rushed to the EC with allegation of Tandon doing a Varun. Tandon, as per the complaint, used incendiary language to incite communal violence during on the Holi procession on March 11. And even as knives are out in the BJP camp over the witch-hunting against their star candidates, the aftermath could cause the party much embarrassment.
Pre-election brawls and clashes are passe. Moral code of conduct has emerged as the most potent missile in the arsenal of political rivals. The list of those hit by it reads like the `who is who' of Uttar Pradesh politics and includes Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, SP candidate from Rampur Jaya Prada, Congress MP from Varansi Rajesh Mishra, BSP minister Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi, BSP MP from Sultanpur, Mohammad Tahir Khan, BJP MLA and the candidate from Kanpur, Satish Mahana, BJP candidate from Mau, Ram Iqbal Singh to name some of them.
On March 11, Mulayam Singh was served a notice for handing out dole to his supports in Saifai during a public function. Two days later, BJP candidate Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi petitioned the commission accusing Jaya Prada of distributing money at a Rampur Mazar. Rajesh Mishra was served notice after he was accused of an attempt to bribe patients at a Varansi hospital, Minister Nandi and former minister and BSP candidate from Allahabad, Ashok Bajpayee, were charged with luring the public into a cinema hall and hosting free matinee. And with parties yet to announce the final list of candidates, it could be just the beginning the battle is expected to hot up in coming days.