The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI), raising concerns over what they termed as “misleading advertisements” released by the Congress party in some newspapers.

The advertisement, placed below the masthead and titled ‘Rajasthan mein Congress ki lehar’ (Congress wave in Rajasthan) grabbed the attention of the BJP, which claimed it was an attempt to convey a newspaper agency’s surveyed opinion.

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Citing the small font size of the publisher’s byline in publications of The Times of India and Dainik Bhaskar, the BJP highlighted the challenge for readers to identify the source of the advertisement.

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, leading a party delegation, alleged that the positioning of the advertisement violates both the Model Code of Conduct and the Press Council of India’s advertising guidelines.

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The BJP’s memorandum to the EC labelled the advertisement as “false, frivolous, and wholly unverified contray to the actual facts and statistics available on record,” demanding immediate action, including the filing of an FIR against the Congress.

The party further called for action against the concerned newspapers and urged the EC to mandate a public apology from the Congress, accompanied by a clarification denying any wave in support of the party.

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In a second complaint, the BJP highlighted another Congress advertisement, urging voters to give a missed call to register for promised party benefits. The complaint highlighted the appearance of this ad in Rajasthan Patrika, The Indian Express, Twitter, online platforms, audio messages, among other mediums.

The BJP urged the EC to immediately stop the spreading of what they termed “misleading” advertisements by Ashok Gehlot and the Congress. Additionally, the party called on the EC to issue an advisory to voters, cautioning against falling prey to such malpractices.