Haridwar Mayor violates Model Code of Conduct, gets notice

The city Mayor Anita Sharma has been charged with violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by displaying her name on an e-rickshaw without taking permission from the competent authorities.

She has been served with a notice by Jagdish Lal, Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) for the local Assembly, seeking an explanation from her in this regard. The notice states that the Mayor violated the Model Code of Conduct by putting up a board containing her name on an e-rickshaw on which she travelled across the city on Thursday without taking any permission.

According to notice, the e-rickshaw on which she travelled across the city on Thursday also had some boards carrying remarks about other political parties, which was informed by the zonal magistrate of the Vidhan Sabha constituency.

Mayor has been asked to respond to the notice till 11 am on March 18 in written with evidence in support of her argument to the office of ARO. "In case Mayor fails to respond, then she will be liable for action under the People's Representative Act 1951," reads the notice further.

Anita Sharma, who belongs to the Congress party, is the first woman Mayor of Haridwar. In 2018 mayoral polls, she defeated BJP's Anu Kakkar.

The Model Code of Conduct has come into force with the announcement of Lok Sabha poll schedule on March 10, according to which seven phases election will begin on April 11 and conclude on May 19.

The counting of votes will take place on May 23 to declare 543 members elected for the Lok Sabha, the Lower House of Indian Parliament.