EC Warns CPI Candidate Sunil Kumar Of Using His Photo With Actor Tovino Thomas In Lok Sabha Election Campaign

The CPI candidate in the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat, V S Sunil Kumar, has received a warning from the Election Commission of India not to use a picture of him with well-known Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas during the election campaign.

Days after Kumar stirred up controversy on social media by sharing a photo of himself with actor Thomas who is an ambassador for the Election Commission’s Systematic Voter’s Education and Electoral Participation program (SVEEP) the EC issued a warning.

Actor Tovino Thomas had shared on social media that he was an ambassador for SVEEP and that using his image for political campaigning was illegal.

Seizing the opportunity, the BJP-led NDA early this week filed a complaint with the district Collector, who is also the returning officer for the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency, against the Left candidate for allegedly violating the poll code.

The National Democratic Alliance’s Thrissur district coordinator, Ravikumar Uppath, filed a complaint alleging that the Left leader had broken the Model Code of Conduct by using the actor’s photo improperly to gain votes.

According to a recent letter that the complainant received from the sub-collector, the nodal officer (model code of conduct), Kumar and the CPI District Secretary were asked to provide an explanation for the matter.

The nodal officer also stated that they had removed the actor’s photo from social media and that they were unaware that he had been named SVEEP’s brand ambassador.

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