At the directions of the Election Commission, the Delhi Police on Friday filed an FIR against BJP candidate from Model Town constituency Kapil Mishra over his controversial tweets in which he likened the February 8 Assembly elections to an “India versus Pakistan contest” and terming Shaheen Bagh as “mini-Pakistan”.

The FIR was lodged at the Model Town Police Station under Section 125 (promoting enmity between classes in connection with election) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

The FIR was registered hours after Mishra submitted his response to the poll panel over his tweets and statements.

The tweets did not gone down well with the Election officials as the Returning Officer (RO) for the Model Town Assembly constituency, Banwari Lal, sent the BJP leader a show-cause notice on the matter seeking his explanation by 12:30 pm on Friday.

Twitter, meanwhile, said it has “withheld” the controversial tweet following the directions of the Election Commission. The tweet was, however, not removed and could be seen on the platform.

“This Tweet from @KapilMishra_IND has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand,” Twitter wrote above the tweet that still appeared on Mishra’s twitter handle.

Earlier on Friday, the EC had directed the micro-blogging website to remove the communal statements made by Kapil Mishra.

The order was issued after Delhi Chief Electoral Officer’s office requested the Election Commission to begin the process for removal of Mishra’s tweet.

The EC had also said that Twitter should intimate it about the action taken.

Mishra, when contacted by PTI, said, “I have not deleted my tweet”.

On Thursday, Kapil Mishra, BJP’s Model Town candidate, had in a tweet said that February 8 polls will be a “match between India and Pakistan”.

He further, in another tweet, went on to describe the Shaheen Bagh protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as “mini Pakistans” being created in Delhi.

“AAP and Congress have created these mini-Pakistans, like the one in Shaheen Bagh. They will get the answer from India on February 8. Whenever seditious people create a Pakistan in India, they will come face-to-face with patriotic Indians,” Mishra ranted.

His tweet came in response to Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and AAP candidate from Patparganj Assembly seat Manish Sisodia’s comment that he stands with the people of Shaheen Bagh.

However, Mishra on Friday, despite the show cause notice slapped on him, remained defiant and claimed that his remarks were “general opinion” and “do not fall under the ambit of the model code of conduct and the Representation of the People Act”.

On FIR filed against him, Mishra on Saturday, told news agency ANI that the “Congress and AAP are losing polls on the ground and therefore, they want to fight it in police stations, court and on paper. “I haven’t violated any law and have spoken the truth,” he asserted.

Mishra has became the first political leader in the 2020 against whom the Election Commission has ordered a FIR for breaking the model code of conduct.

The Delhi Assembly Election will be a triangular fight involving the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.

Polling will be held on February 8 and the results declared on February 11.