The Commission headed by J M Lyngdoh in an order said Gandhi and Ajit Jogi, Chief Minister of Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh state, where elections to a new legislature is slated for December 1, had used the state government's aircraft during electioneering. It said one aircraft and a helicopter, owned by Chhattisgarh government, had been used by the Congress leaders on and after October 6 up to November 12 for as many as times for election campaign in "violation" of the code of conduct.

Chattisgarh as also three other Congress-governed states Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi go to assembly polls. The Election Commission has asked Congress party to reply within a week and said if no response was received within that time it would then take appropriate decision or action.

The Congress has denied that Sonia Gandhi had used government aircraft for electioneering and said it would reply to the Election Commission show cause notice. The Commission's findings about Sonia and Jogi has come as a slight dampener to Congress' glee following the resignation of senior BJP leader Dilip Singh Judeo as a Federal minister over charges of bribery against him.

Judeo hails from Chhattisgarh.

Meanwhile, there were clear indications that the Judeo episode would be a major issue in the coming elections to the four states as the final phase of electioneering there began yesterday.

The episode figured in the speeches of the star campaigners of India's ruling BJP and main opposition Congress at separate rallies addressed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and Sonia Gandhi respectively.