DHAKA: The Congress has said the Election Commission should take ‘cognisance’ of a video message that Narendra Modi released Monday as 41 constituencies across three states vote.

Among those constituencies is Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh where Modi, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, is locked in a prestige battle with Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal and the Congress' Ajai Rai.  

Modi tweeted a link to his almost seven-minute video this morning with the message, ‘All those voting in today’s phase- Have you voted? If not please go to the polling booth! Sharing my video message’.

‘How can the channels show Modi’s speech today in violation of the code of conduct? Election Commission should take cognisance immediately,’ said Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken, also on Twitter, reports NDTV.

In his video, Modi, in a blue kurta and an orange stole draped over his shoulders, talks about enthusiastic voting in ‘extreme heat’ in polls held over eight phases so far, noting the large turnout of women and the youth.

He also asks the Election Commission to ‘ensure peaceful voting’ Monday, the last phase, by deploying ‘central forces’.

BDST: 1740 HRS, MAY 12, 2014