The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Maharashtra, has initiated action against a school management for allegedly allowing the use of its students in the Lok Sabha poll campaign of the ruling BJP’s Nagpur candidate and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Acting on a complaint lodged by Maharashtra Congress’ chief spokesperson Atul Londhe with the office of CEO, Maharashtra, on April 3, 2024 that the school about the alleged use of school students in the students in Gadkari’s poll campaign, the poll body has ordered that action be initiated against the Director of NSVM Fulwari School Murlidhar Pavnikar whom it has found guilty of the violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
In a letter written to Londhe on Tuesday, Under-Secretary of State General Administration Department Vikram Nikam gave details of the inquiry conducted into the complaint and action taken against the director of NSVM Fulwari School, Vaishali Nagar, Nagpur.
As per the letter, the election authorities had summoned the director and the lady principal of the school for a hearing. “Based on what transpired at the hearing and also the written submissions made by the school, school director Murlidhar Pavnikar has been found guilty (of the violation of Model Code of Conduct). It has been found that students were used to accord welcome to Mr Nitin Gadkari during his election campaign. As per the rules, the Education Officer (Middle school section) has been asked to take necessary action against the Director concerned,” GAD under-secretary Nikam stated in his letter.
In his complaint to the CEO, Londhe had alleged that students of the NSVM Fulwari School had been used by the BJP and its candidate Gadkari for his campaign rally between 12 noon and 1 pm on April 1, 2024.
“The use of children in political campaign not only violates the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 as amended in 2016 but also goes against judicial directives, including a 2014 order by the Bombay High Court. Such actions by political parties not only undermine the integrity of electoral process but also jeopardise the rights, privacy and future of the children involved,” Londhe had stated in his letter, in which he had attached a video clip and photograph of the alleged misuse of children in Gadkari’s election campaign.
