The Election Commission (EC) has taken action against alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by star campaigners of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (Congress). Approximately 425 major complaints, excluding canvassing-related or clarificatory ones, have been filed with the EC and Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) since March 16th. Of these, action has been taken or disposed of in 400 cases. The Congress has filed approximately 170 complaints, while the BJP has filed 95, with around 160 complaints received from other parties. Most of these complaints have been acted upon. Notably, complaints from both the Congress and the BJP against each other are pending, alleging MCC violations in the form of divisive statements on communal, caste, and regional language issues, as well as the sanctity of the Indian Constitution. In the past, the EC issued notices to individual leaders responsible for MCC violations. However, in a new approach, the commission has urged party presidents and general secretaries to request their leaders and star campaigners to refrain from making speeches or statements that violate the MCC. For the first time, the commission issued a notice for violation based on complaints against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 25th. The notice was sent to BJP president J.P. Nadda instead of Mr. Modi directly and did not mention the Prime Minister’s name. The attached complaints included those from the Congress about Mr. Modi’s speech in Banswara, Rajasthan, as well as complaints from other parties like the Communist Party of India (Marxist). A similar notice was served to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge regarding complaints against him and Rahul Gandhi. The EC has received responses from both parties and is currently examining the complaints and counter-complaints. The commission also stated that the Lok Sabha election campaign has been largely violence-free and less noisy, cluttered, and intrusive, with fewer inducements and ostentatiousness.
EC Reviews Model Code Violations by BJP, Congress; Notices Sent to Party Heads
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