The Gujarat Election Commission has blocked a BJP poll campaign ad featuring an individual named 'Pappu' Photo Credit: Times Now The Gujarat Election Commission has blocked a BJP poll campaign ad featuring an individual named 'Pappu'

Gujarat: A massive political controversy broke out on Tuesday after the Gujarat Election Commission (EC) opposed to a Bharatiya Janata Party’s poll campaign TV advertisement, featuring an individual named ‘Pappu’.

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In the poll-bound state of Gujarat, Times Now has accessed a series of letters written by the state election commission to the BJP, requesting the party to remove the word ‘Pappu’ from the campaign ad. The state EC claims that the ad, which indirectly targets Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, is derogatory.

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Also read in Hindi: गुजरात निर्वाचन आयोग को भाजपा के चुनाव प्रचार अभियान में 'पप्पू' शब्द से ऐतराज, राजनीतिक हंगामा

After examining the audio-visual ad, the state EC said the caricature used in the clip depicts a “certain personality” and the name ‘Pappu’ is embarrassing in Gujarati.

“In this political advertisement, it (Pappu) should not be used, the committee recommends a change in this ad,” read the letter sent to the BJP by the poll panel. It has also cited Television Network Rules 1994 to ban the BJP’s new campaign.

However, the BJP has strongly opposed this censorship and is expected to appeal once again to the state EC. The point raised by the BJP here is the fact that no leader has been directly named in the ad.

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The first letter was sent to the BJP on October 31, following which it appealed against the ban on November 7. Despite the BJP’s effort to get a green signal for the ad, the poll panel stood firm on its ground.

Following the chain of events, a massive political debate has been triggered in the poll-bound state, with both parties hitting out at each other. Criticising the ruling party, Rajiv Desai, Public Affairs Analyst, said, “BJP has lost the plot in Gujarat. They can do whatever they want.”

“This BJP ad is intended to belittle a political rival,” he added. He went on to back the poll panel, saying that the decision taken is absolutely right.

BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra, on the other hand, defended the advertisement and criticised the state poll panel. “The EC has made this word Pappu official and made it synonymous with Rahul Gandhi,” he said.

Another BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli demanded the EC for an explanation on why the ad has been blocked. “Election Commission should explain as to why it is considering Pappu as derogatory,” he said.

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“I don’t know why the EC is linking the word Pappu to Rahul Gandhi,” he added.

Some BJP party members have lambasted the EC, questioning why it did not oppose the use of words like ‘Feku’ or liar, used by the Congress party to target the BJP.

Assembly elections will be held in the state in two phases on December 9 and 14, and the results for the same will be declared on December 18, along with the results for Himachal Pradesh.