Police case filed against Congress's Milind Deora for poll code violation

MUMBAI: A case was filed against the Congress' Mumbai South Lok Sabha candidate Milind Deora at Lokmanya Tilak Marg police station here on the direction of the Election Commission for violation of the model code of conduct, an official said Sunday.

Deora, while campaigning in Zaveri Bazar area on April 4, had made an appeal to the Jain community to not vote for the Shiv Sena as it had hurt their religious sentiments earlier.

Following the remarks, Sena supporters had filed a complaint with the Election Commission on April 8.

Deora is pitted against Sena's sitting MP Arvind Sawant for the seat.

"We registered an offence on Saturday against Deora under section 125 of the Representation of the People Act and section 171 of the

Indian Penal Code

," Dnyaneshwar Chavan, Zone II deputy commissioner of Police said Sunday.

Deora, in a statement, said, "In my speech, I was making a simple point that Shiv Sena, in the name of (Prime Minister) Modi, took votes from people in 2014 and then turned against them. Such political hypocrisy needs to be exposed. I strongly feel no political party should either appease or oppose any community on their practices and beliefs."