The Election Commission of India (ECI) has served a notice to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for allegedly using money from the state exchequer for building and installing statues of the elephant, which is the election symbol of the BSP.

The ECI notice follows a petition filed by advocate Ravi Kant and a letter sent to the ECI by a social organisation, Common Cause. BSP president Mayawati has been asked to send her reply by August 12.

In his petition to the ECI, which was submitted on July 18, Ravi Kant had written that public money is being misused in Uttar Pradesh to place the images of the election symbol of the BSP in public places.

The petition urged the Commission to stop this violation of the model of conduct by the UP government in view of the Assembly by-election in Malihabad, which is being held later this month.

“This is a serious violation of the Model Code of Conduct. Also, public money from the state exchequer has been spent to build statues of Mayawati,” Ravi Kant said in his petition.

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The petitioner also said that the Election Commission had, on April 1, 2009, ordered that “photographs of prime minister, chief ministers, ministers and other political functionaries should not be displayed” in view of the elections.

“By installing her own statues and also statues of elephant in all memorials and parks, the chief minister is openly publicising her party symbol and that too, permanently,” Ravi Kant told The Indian Express.