EC Asks Health Ministry To Remove PM's Photo From Vaccine Certificates In Poll-Bound States

Election Commission has asked the Health Ministry to remove Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photo from the coronavirus vaccine certificates of poll bound states.

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New Delhi: The Election Commission has asked the Health Ministry to remove Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photo from the coronavirus vaccine certificate. In a letter to the health ministry, the EC has sought a response under the rules of Election Code of Conduct.

The Trinamool Congress has term it as a violation of the Election Code of Conduct and had complained to the Election Commission accused him of stealing the due credit from frontline workers namely doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers.

Stating that the vaccine is a central scheme the Chief Electoral Officer of Bengal will be submitting a report to the Election Commission on the issue. The EC suggested that the photo be removed from vaccine certificates from the four poll-bound states of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and UT Puducherry.

Earlier, a Trinamool Congress delegation had met ECI officials to complain that the use of PM Modi's photographs in hoardings informing people of various central schemes violates the poll code. The use of the prime minister's photograph in such hoardings violates the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), the official of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said on Wednesday.

The ruling party in West Bengal termed it as a "blatant misuse of official machinery" and asked Election Commission to intervene seeking the removal of hoardings advertising central government schemes with images of PM Modi at petrol pumps.

Trinamool Congress released the list for 291 assembly seats and announced that chief Mamata Banerjee will be contesting the upcoming assembly polls from the Nandigram seat and vacate her own seat of Bhowanipore in Kolkata. This makes the Nandigram seat the most important battleground as it is being speculated that BJP will be fielding Suvendu Adhikari from the same seat.