Poll panel ticks off Mulayam for targeting Mainpuri official

New Delhi, April 5 (IANS) The Election Commission Sunday conveyed its 'strong disapproval' of the unsavoury remarks by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav in his election speech targeting Mainpuri District Magistrate Ministhy Dileep and asked him to show 'restraint' in future.

'The Election Commission conveys its strong disapproval of the manner in which Mulayam Singh Yadav made his speech at Mainpuri on March 23 and advises him to be more cautious in future,' the poll panel said in a statement here.

The three-member poll panel, headed by N. Gopalaswami, also expressed dissatisfaction over the Samajwadi Party leader's reply to its notice sent March 30.

The poll panel said that Yadav should exercise 'restraint' in future.

On March 23, Yadav had targeted the IAS official, saying: 'She (Ministhy) is a woman and that is why I am not making any comments on her. She should get her brain checked and should be aware of the fact that Mulayam is contesting from here (Mainpuri).'

In its notice, the poll panel had said that it considers such threats 'as an obstacle in the conduct of free and fair elections' and that it also 'affects the morale of the district election machinery involved in the conduct of elections'.

Yadav had given his reply to the notice April 3.

According to reports, the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh made the comments against the Mainpuri official after his party workers accused her of cancelling arms dealer licences and confiscating licensed arms of Samajwadi Party supporters.