The Election Commission on Sunday censured Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for violating Model Code of Conduct during campaigning for the assembly bye-elections in the state.

The Commission, after going through the entire material, including videoclipping and transcription of Gogoi's campaign speeches, said the allegations made against him stand "substantiated".

In its order, the EC said it "censured" Gogoi, who heads the Congress government in the state, for violation of the Model Code for the bypolls held yesterday and advised him to be "careful in future".

The EC order came after a complaint was made to the Commission that the Chief Minister, while campaigning in Dhekiajui constituency in the state on November 3, had made promises to the electorate that if the candidate of his party won, he would provide a special package for the all-round development of the constituency.

It was also alleged that Gogoi had promised to fulfil the demand for making the constituency a sub-division and build a library in the name of martyrs of a movement for creation of the sub-division.

Taking note of the complaint, the EC had issued a notice the Chief Minister on November 6 seeking an explanation from him on the charges that he violated provisions of the Model Code of Conduct.

Gogoi sent an explanation to the notice the next day in which he said that he had only reiterated the stand of the government mentioning that the development of backward and border areas of the state, under which Dhekiajuli falls, had been of special priority under the declared policy of the Assam government, an EC release said.

... contd.