EC bans rallies by Modi aide

Narenda Modi suffered a setback on Friday when his closest aide was banned from election rallies and meetings after a series of speeches deemed to have stoked tensions with Muslims.
The aide, Amit Shah, who faces murder charges dating to his time serving under Modi in the state government of Gujarat, runs Modi's campaign in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Shah says the murder charges are a political conspiracy.
It was not immediately clear what impact a possibly disruptive ban on meetings in Uttar Pradesh by such a high profile figure would have on Modi's campaign in the state. Shah is tipped for a senior role in any Modi government.
The election commission ruled that both Shah and a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government had made statements that promoted "hatred and ill will" between religions and urged police to press criminal charges.