CEC Kumar cautions against making anti-women remarks, associating children during poll campaigns

New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday urged candidates and political party leaders to refrain from making remarks against women and involving children during poll campaigns.

Kumar, who was addressing a press conference to announce the assembly poll schedule in Delhi, was asked about the recent comment made by BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri against Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Bidhuri, the BJP candidate from Kalkaji, sparked controversy when he had said he would make the roads in his constituency "like Priyanka Gandhi's cheeks", if elected.

While not taking names, Kumar said the Election Commission would ensure no remarks were made against women when the Model Code of Conduct was in force.

"Any remarks against women should not be made, we have issued very strict guidelines... We condemn this but only when Model Code of Conduct is in place," he said.

"Children should not be associated (with campaigns) at all... We will not allow anti-women remarks," he added.

"On one hand we are trying to bring more and more women to the booth... If you speak in such a manner about mothers and sisters, it is shameful," he said.