Shun activities that sabotage polls: EC tells parties

The Election Commission Monday appealed to all political parties contesting the Delhi assembly elections to refrain from activities that sabotage the tranquillity of the poll campaign.

Referring to the ongoing Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) controversy, Delhi Election Commission Chief Electoral Officer Vijay Dev said with just a few days left for the Dec 4 elections, political parties are targeting each other by indulging in activities like sting operations by roping in media houses.

The sting by media portal mediasarkar.com Thursday showed AAP leaders, including Shazia Ilmi, candidate from south Delhi's R.K. Puram, accepting donations without proper verification.

"It is important for the political parties to maintain the status quo of the election campaign and contest the referendum on clean and honest grounds," he said.

"Media organisations also should not be part of such conspiracies," added Dev.

"In another such activity from east Delhi, a few people from a political party wearing the skull cap of AAP distributed money among people in a constituency just to sabotage the image of the party. This is against the ethics of elections," he said.

Any activity that disturbs peace and tranquillity during the polls will not be tolerated and strict action will be taken once the elections are over, he said.