Madhusudan Mistry arrested for pasting his poster on Narendra Modi's advertisement, gets bail

Vadodara: Vadodara police on Thursday detained Congress candidate against Narendra Modi, Madhusudan Mistry, and other party workers when they tried to paste his posters on his rival's banners at advertisement kiosks in Dandiya Bazaar area. He was granted bail shortly after the incident.

"Mistry and other Congress workers have been detained after they tried to paste his posters on a advertisement kiosk installed on electricity poll on road dividers," Vadodara DCP Dipankar Trivedi said.

Narendra Rawat, the earlier Congress candidate from Vadodara whose candidature was withdrawn after BJP declared that their prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi will fight from this Lok Sabha seat, and Leader of Opposition in Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC)'s Chandrakant Kastur were also detained along with Mistry and other party workers.

"Mistry or any other Congress leader has not taken any permission for the programme," said Trivedi, adding that further course of action will be decided after looking into the videography of the incident.

"Mistry tried to climb on one pole of road divider for pasting his poster over Narendra Modi's poster, but he was prevented by the police," a Congress worker said. "Police also took away his ladder which was used to replace Modi's poster," he said further.

Congress workers shouted slogans against Modi and BJP party and alleged that he (Modi) was responsible for not allowing their party candidate to put up his posters.

Talking to PTI, Mistry alleged that police and district administration were acting in a partisan manner and prevented putting up of his posters at advertisements kiosks on city roads. Mistry also said that when a policeman came to him, he demanded his identity card but the cop refused to show it.

Earlier, Mistry along with other Congress workers sat on a dharna at city Congress office in Dandiya Bazar area of Vadodara city.

Women workers of the party also alleged that they were beaten up by police and in the scuffle their "mangalsutras" were looted and their bangles were broken when they were being detained.

Mistry had on Wednesday alleged that authorities had shown bias by allocating all the advertisement kiosks on roads of the city to BJP, where Modi's posters were prominently displayed.

The AICC general secretary had on Wednesday threatened to paste his posters on that of Modi, if Vadodara District Electoral Officer (DEO) and Deputy Municipal Commissioner (administration) of VMC failed to remove the posters of Modi from the kiosks by 10 am.

"Both DEO and VMC acted in partisan manner in allowing display of posters of Modi on advertisement kiosks set up by VMC on road sides and on road dividers," Mistry had alleged.

"The DEO and VMC should follow principles of equality in allocating kiosks to political parties for the display of posters," he said.

Congress city unit president Narendra Rawat, who was earlier declared the party candidate from Vadodara for the Lok Sabha election, was replaced with Mistry after the BJP announced that Modi will contest the polls from this urban constituency.