AFTER THE hotly-contested Lok Sabha elections earlier this yr that noticed the Election Fee taking motion in 14 main Mannequin Code of Conduct violation instances, the recently-concluded Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir Meeting elections went off with none notices or punitive actions by the ballot panel.
Often, the EC uploads copies of MCC notices and orders taking motion primarily based on them on its web site.
For the Haryana and J&Okay polls, there have been no such notices on the web site. The EC didn’t situation any MCC violation notices or take any punitive motion within the elections, senior EC sources confirmed.
This, EC sources say, is as a result of there have been only a few complaints from political events and none of them rose to the extent of issuing discover.
The ballot panel had taken proactive steps to forestall grounds for grievance from events, a prime EC supply stated.
As an example, in Jammu and Kashmir, the EC stopped the method of appointment of Colonel Vikrant Prasher of the Indian Military because the Senior Superintendent of Police (Coaching) within the J&Okay Police. The J&Okay authorities had issued the order on September 27, forward of the third and ultimate part of the elections scheduled for October 1. The EC wrote to the Chief Secretary on September 30 halting the appointment, saying that because the MCC was in place there was a ban on switch of officers linked to election.
In Haryana, the place polls have been held on October 5, there have been some complaints from events, sources stated. Nonetheless, the EC didn’t situation notices. Congress general-secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh had written to the EC towards the Haryana Public Service Fee’s recruitment in public providers. Replying to him on August 21, the EC stated although the recruitment course of for constables, academics and different posts had began earlier than the elections and therefore didn’t violate the MCC, it requested the federal government to not declare the outcomes of the recruitment till after the polls to “preserve the extent taking part in discipline”.
Based on the EC’s standing directions relating to the MCC, the common recruitment and appointment or promotions by way of the Union Public Service Fee and State Public Service Commissions or any statutory authority can proceed throughout elections.
In one other case, appearing on a grievance from Haryana Congress, the EC ordered that the assembly of the choice committee for members of the State Human Rights Fee be deferred until the completion of the polls.
Biplab Kumar Deb, the BJP co-in-charge for the Haryana elections, stated the marketing campaign had been peaceable. “There was incidents of violence in Haryana elections. This time it was a slightly peaceable election. We contemplate it as an achievement of the 10-year regime of the BJP. There have been complaints of MCC violations however the quantity was much less compared with the previous elections,” he stated.
The Congress, then again, painted a unique image. Congress secretary in cost for Haryana Manoj Chauhan instructed The Indian Categorical that the get together submitted not less than 14 complaints to native election officers over MCC violations through the Haryana elections. “We submitted not less than 14 complaints and 4 FIRs have been additionally lodged within the state over MCC violations,” stated Chauhan.
The MCC got here into pressure when the EC introduced the ballot schedules on August 16 and stayed in place until October 8 when the outcomes have been introduced.
Haryana went to polls in a single part on October 5, with the BJP successful a 3rd consecutive time period. The J&Okay Meeting elections have been the primary in 10 years and in addition the primary because the state of J&Okay was bifurcated and downgraded into two Union Territories in 2019. The three-phased elections in J&Okay have been held on September 18, September 25 and October 1, with the Nationwide Convention forming the federal government.
In latest election cycles, together with the Lok Sabha elections this yr and Karnataka Meeting polls final yr, the EC issued a number of notices to events. Within the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 13 notices have been issued, together with to BJP president JP Nadda and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. The EC had additionally issued six censures and handed out three bans on campaigning.
(With inputs from Asad Rehman)
