The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as well as Assam state chief and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician Himanta Biswa Sarma to respond to its notice by Monday evening.
In a stern warning to the politicians, the survey committee said failure to respond by the deadline would result in "appropriate action" without further notice.
The ECI sent the notice to Vadra following a complaint from the Rajasthan state unit of the BJP. The complaint alleged that Vadra made false claims during her campaign in the state's upcoming election by invoking the personal religious devotion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Then Congress general secretary criticized the BJP, claiming that the party presents "envelopes" to the public, but nothing is discovered inside them after the elections.
"It has been alleged that you invoked the Prime Minister's personal religious devotion. Additionally, it is claimed that the relationship between an individual and a deity should not be subject to public scrutiny, and that your statement lowered the public's estimation of the devotee", the ECI stated in its notice to Vadra.
In addition, the ECI also sent a notice to Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma after accusing him of singling out Mohammad Akbar, the only Muslim minister in the Chhattisgarh state government.
Notably, while giving a speech in the Kawardha district of Chhattisgarh on 18 October, Sarma stated that "India needs Narendra Modi, not the 16th century Mughal Emperor Akbar".
“To save Chhattisgarh from love jihad, religious conversion, and people like Akbar, we need people like Vijay Sharma”, the Assam state chief expressed during the campaign for the party's nominee, Vijay Sharma.
He asked those attending the rally, "Do you want Akbar or Vijay?" and urged them to vote for Vijay Sharma in the elections, warning that otherwise Akbar from Kawardha would take control of the entire state of Chhattisgarh.
While serving its notice to Sharma, the ECI stated that "no party or candidate shall participate in any activity that may worsen existing differences, create mutual hatred, or cause tension between different castes, communities, religious groups, or linguistic groups".
State assembly elections in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are scheduled to be held on 25 and 7 November, respectively. The results in both states will be announced on 3 December.