Mathura District administration files case against BJP leader for MCC violation

The Mathura District administration has filed a case against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman Shrikant Sharma for violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) ahead of next month's assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

According to a report filed by Mathura District's Deputy Collector Chandni Singh at the Highway Police Station, Sharma addressed a function at a school in the afternoon in complete violation of the MCC.

Elections in Uttar Pradesh are to be held in seven phases. The polling dates are February 11, February 15, February 19, February 23, February 27, March 4 and March 8, 2017. Counting of votes will take place on March 11, 2017.

Incumbent Samajwadi Party (SP) government came to power in 2012 by securing a comfortable majority of 224 seats.

The Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha consists of 403 assembly seats. The state is one of the few in the country which has a bicameral legislature with two houses -the lower and the upper. The lower house is the Vidhan Sabha or the State Legislative Assembly and the Upper house is called the Vidhan Parishad or the Legislative council. The Vidhan Sabha had 431 members till 1967, but now the Vidhan Sabha consists of 403 directly elected members and one nominated member from the Anglo-Indian community. The Vidhan Parishad has 100 members.