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Updated: Oct 07, 2019 09:07 IST

The Uttarakhand unit of the BJP issued a show cause notice to party lawmaker Umesh Sharma on Sunday after an alleged phone conversation with an unknown person where the MLA tells him that the BJP supported candidate should lose in zila panchayat elections in Dehradun went viral.

Devendra Bhasin, state BJP spokesperson said the show cause notice was issued by state BJP general secretary Rajendra Bhandari on the directions of the state BJP president Ajay Bhatt to Sharma who represents Raipura assembly segment in Dehradun.

“Following a report received by the committee formed for the Panchayat elections, it is known that you have made an audio viral on social media against the candidate supported by the party. You conduct comes under grave indiscipline,” the notice said.

“Sharma has been directed to reply within three days to the notice on his alleged anti-party activity and audio clip to the state BJP general secretary and president,” Bhasin said.

When contacted, Sharma said the audio clip was doctored and has been made by mixing his audio clips recorded on different occasions. “I have never worked against the party. This is a delibrate attempt to tarnish my image. Why was audio clip uploaded on October 3 on Facebook and then deleted after some time. This is a conspiracy against me,” he said.

The show cause notice is the second major action by BJP this month against its leaders and workers in the state.

On Friday Uttarakhand BJP had expelled 90 of its rebel leaders across the state for their anti-party activities and contesting against the party aspirants in the three-tier panchayat elections in the state.

In Uttarakhand, 7,485 gram panchayats are going to polls this month. Panchayat elections are being held in state’s 12 districts except Haridwar in three phases on October 5, October 11 and October 16. The Panchayat elections have been mired in many controversies this year, starting with delay in its announcement to changes made by the state government in the criteria for contesting the elections.