The Jamshedpur East Congress candidate Dr. Ajoy Kumar has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India that the Odisha Governor Raghubar Das is actively campaigning of his daughter in law and BJP contestant Purnima Das in the particular constituency. Das was accused of attending election booth committee meetings in Jamshedpur East and distributing various campaign items to the public, which Kumar says is against the model code of conduct that governors should not engage in when they are still in post.
In his letter to Rao, Kumar had asked if a constitutional office bearer like a Governor should be allowed to engage in such political process without demitting his office. He for instance note previous page cases in which people in such positions have resigned then returned to campaigning for political office.
The Congress has urged the ECI to take immediate action to prevent Das from further involvement in his daughter-in-law’s poll campaign. Kumar emphasized that Das’s participation in election activities raises significant concerns about fairness and impartiality in the electoral process.
Recalling Das’s previous term as the Jharkhand Chief Minister, Kumar accuse him of political on policies, particularly those concerning the land acquisition, of the tribal population, which led to the BJP’s defeat in the Jharkhand state legislature assembly election three months prior to the general election in May 2019. Continuing Kumar, Das’s presence in the governor’s office in Odisha has made it a “political hub” for the Jharkhand assembly elections.