Don't allow yoga camps if possibility of misuse: Election Commission - Times of India

NEW DELHI: In the wake of Congress's complaint alleging that Baba Ramdev was using his yoga camps for political campaigning, the Election Commission on Friday issued general directions requiring district election officers and returning officers to grant permission for yoga shivirs only after the organiser's non-political antecedents had been established.

The EC, in a communication sent to all state chief electoral officers, said it had come to its notice that "in certain places, while permission was sought by certain organizations to organize non-political activities like yoga shivirs etc, the platform of the function was used for political campaigning in clear violation of the conditions on which the permission was granted".

The Commission directed the CEOs to convey to the district election officers and returning officers to verify the antecedents of organizations seeking permission for holding yoga camps "so that they do not misuse permission granted for non-political functions by indulging in political campaigns for or against any party or candidate". It further said permission should be withheld in cases where it is likely to be misused or has been misused by either the organizer or participants on earlier occasions.

"In case any such violation having already taken place, the details of such violation indicating the name of the organization and the participants should be brought to the notice of the Commission the concerned CEO shall also bring it to the notice of the CEOs or other states/UTs immediately through e mail, fax, etc," said the EC.

The EC order comes days after Congress leader Madhusudan Mistry, who is pitted against Narendra Modi in Vadodra, requested the poll body not to allow Baba Ramdev to hold a yoga shivir in the city on April 26.

Baba Ramdev has, since long, been voicing support for the BJP and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. He was issued a show-cause notice by the Delhi chief electoral officer in March after Narendra Modi attended his yoga camp at Ramlila grounds here.

On April 2, Baba Ramdev organized a similar yoga shivir at Nawanshahr in Punjab and took out a road-show along with Shiromani Akali Dal candidate from Anandpur Sahib. He is reportedly to have addressed the public saying that Modi as prime minister was necessary for the country. This led the district election officer of Nawanshahr to recommend that the expenditure of Baba Ramdev's event be charged to SAD's accounts.