NEW DELHI: Congress on Friday accused Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan of violating the model code of conduct, with party leaders petitioning the Election Commission with an audio tape as evidence ahead of a by-election in the state.

In the complaint, Congress alleged that Chouhan had asked a local party leader to ensure that a particular community voted in favour of BJP in Saturday’s by-election in Garoth constituency. He promised the local leader a “big post” and “benefits” in return.

At a press conference, AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh played an audio tape with the purported conversation between the CM and local leader Rajesh Choudhry, who was a potential BJP candidate for Garoth. The audio clip has also been posted on social media and is being played on TV channels.

In the audio, the CM is purportedly telling Choudhry, “You were unable to get the party ticket despite being an equal (equally strong) candidate. In the election, condition of BJP is not good, therefore, in the remaining days, you openly, along with your community, ensure heavy votes for BJP so that it can win with a huge margin... after the polls, I will honour you by giving a bigger post than this and I am in a position to benefit you.”

Digvijay Singh, along with local MLA Jitu Patwari and other party leaders, termed it an electoral offence in their complaint to the EC. Singh told reporters that he took responsibility for the audio clip and sought its forensic examination.

The allegation against the MP chief minister comes as part of Congress’s aggression against BJP leaders at the Centre and in states.

The party recently accused Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde of awarding contracts worth crores without following the due process of tenders, while it also targeted a senior BJP minister for having a “fake” education degree. Earlier, it had attacked Chouhan over the ‘Vyapam’ scam.

The move comes in the wake of a strong offensive on ‘Lalitgate’ at the Centre, with demands for sacking of foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje.

If it betrays a strategy to throw the corruption net wide, the party hopes to create an atmosphere of “free season” under BJP governments – an imitation of the BJP assault on Congress during UPA-2.

Relegated to the opposition after a debilitating defeat, Congress has been enthused by the response to Lalitgate, the first crisis for the Narendra Modi regime, as it hits at the saffron USP of “clean governance”.

It is felt that focused action on the graft front can help change public perception.

