The Election Commission of India (ECI) had barred Yogi Adityanath from addressing rallies or taking part in the poll campaign for 72 hours for violation of Model Code of Conduct. The CM was penalised for his ‘Ali’ and ‘Bajrangbali’ statement in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.

In its order on Adityanath, the ECI on Monday said it "strongly condemns" the impugned statement made by the UP chief minister and "censured" him for "misconduct".

Both the leaders have been banned for violating Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by making objectionable statements in their speeches.

  Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot suggested on Sunday that his Uttar Pradesh counterpart, Yogi Adityanath, should be booked for sedition for labelling the military as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's army.  

Mayawati was issued the notice over her speech in Deoband appealing to Muslims not to vote for a particular party, finding that the BSP chief had prima facie violated the model code of conduct. Adityanath was served the notice for his "Ali" and "Bajrang Bali" remarks while addressing a rally in Meerut. Adityanath had compared the Lok Sabha elections to a contest between 'Ali', a revered figure in Islam, and Bajrang Bali, the Hindu god Hanuman.

Lok Sabha polls 2019 kicked off to a troubled start on Thursday with two people being killed in clashes in Andhra Pradesh, IED blasts in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, reports of EVM glitches and multiple complaints from voters about their names not being on the electoral list. More than 14 crore people were listed to vote in the first phase, held in 91 Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 18 states and two union territories. The second phase of polling will be held on April 18. And a lot is still waiting to happen in the run up to it. Stay tuned to this space as we bring to you live and latest updates from the general election 2019.

While addressing the people of Aonla on Wednesday, Yogi said that India might have got political independence in 1947 but Muslim women got independence only recently -- after the abolition of triple talaq.

“Congress is supporting those who are anti-national. For us, the nation is first. Since the beginning we have been working for the country,” said Yogi Adityanath.

Nine Lok Sabha constituencies of Uttar Pradesh will go to polls on April 11. The high-voltage election campaign for nine Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh going to polls in the first phase has ended . In the first phase of polling in UP, votes will be cast in Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar.

The chief minister also asserted that the voters will reject the anti-BJP alliance comprising the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal.

Addressing a public meeting at Peddapalli in support of BJP's candidate, S Kumar, Adityanath said both Congress and TRS are with the 'anti-nationals' and supporting activities which were dangerous' to national security.

The EC had issued the Uttar Pradesh chief minister a show cause notice based on a video clip submitted by the Ghaziabad district magistrate which showed Adityanath making the remarks at the election rally there on Sunday.

"Muslim League is a virus. If someone is affected by this virus, he cannot survive and today main Opposition party Congress is affected by it. Think, if they win what will happen? This virus will spread in the entire nation," Adityanath said on Twitter.   

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday accused the Congress of playing into the hands of anti-nationals and separatists, saying the party intended to "weaken" the armed forces by promising to review the AFSPA.

The EC took the decision based on a video clip submitted by the Ghaziabad district magistrate which shows Adityanath making the remarks at the election rally there on Sunday.

On Sunday, during a rally in Ghaziabad, the UP CM had described the Indian Army as 'Modiji ki sena", sparking criticism from the opposition parties.  

Amidst the opposition attack on Adityanath for his remark, the Election Commission has also asked the district magistrate of Ghaziabad to submit a report so that it can be checked whether there was any violation of Model Code of Conduct as it has already asked political parties to "desist" during their Lok Sabha poll campaigns from indulging in any propaganda involving defence forces. 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath described the Indian Army as "Modi ji ki sena" (Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Army) during an election campaign for the BJP here.   

"Pakistan was counting the dead bodies of terrorists. At that time, our Opposition was asking questions about the airstrike. This will not be tolerated at any cost," Adityanath said at a public meeting in Ghaziabad.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday addressed a rally in Gautam Buddh Nagar's Bisahada village, home to Mohammad Akhlaq who was lynched by a mob, and said the Modi government was working for all sections of the society.