A case has been filed against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Bengaluru South Lok Sabha constituency Tejasvi Surya for apparently seeking votes on religious grounds, an official said on Friday.
Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Meena said that the case was filed on April 25. "The case was filed at Jayanagar police station in Bengaluru under section 123 (3) for posting a video on X handle and soliciting votes on the ground of religion," the Karnataka CEO said.
Tejasvi Surya, who is seeking re-election from Bengaluru South LS seat, had uploaded a video of 'Surya Tilak' on the forehead of Lord Shri Ram's idol on Thursday on X.
"Our generation was blessed to witness the majestic Surya Tilak on Bhagwan Sri Ram at Ayodhya on Ram Navami. A wait for 500 years and the wish of crores of Bharatiyas was fulfilled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For Bharatiyata to survive, vote for BJP," Surya had posted.
The BJP Yuva Morcha chief, Tejasvi Surya, is fighting an uphill task to defend his Lok Sabha seat, a stronghold that the party has maintained since 1991. However, the Congress party is pinning its hopes on Sowmya Reddy, the daughter of state Minister for Transport and Muzarai Ramalinga Reddy and a former MLA from the Jayanagar Assembly seat in Bengaluru, to reverse the trend.
Ramalinga Reddy has huge influence in the area. Despite losing the last Assembly election to a BJP candidate by a very narrow margin in 2023, her candidacy represents the Congress party's determination to challenge the BJP's dominance in Jayanagar.
(With inputs from IANS)
