With Lok Sabha polls around the corner, the Election Commission of India on Friday warned political parties across the country to maintain “decorum” and “utmost restraint” in public campaigning while asking them to raise the level to issue-based debates.
The poll body has asked the parties to avoid the use of inappropriate and abusive vocabulary against star campaigners of other parties along with false, unquantifiable, unsubstantiated, incorrect, and unverified allegations.
It also said that parties should not make any appeal on the basis of caste and communal feelings of electors.
Apart from avoiding references to the private lives – not connected with the public activities – of leaders or workers of other parties, the Election Commission has also warned against “low-level personal attacks to insult the rivals”.
The ECI has said that no activity, that may aggravate existing differences, create mutual hatred, or cause tensions between different castes/communities/religious/linguistic groups, should be attempted.
“The political parties and leaders shall not make false statements, utterances without factual basis aimed at misleading the voters. Criticism of other parties or their workers on the basis of unverified allegations or on distortions shall be avoided,” it said.
The poll body has asked parties to not use temples, mosques, churches, gurdwaras, or any places of worship for election propaganda or electioneering.
“References which ridicule the relations between devotee and deity or suggestions of divine censure shall not be made,” it said.
No action or comments repugnant to women’s honour, dignity
Political parties and candidates were also asked to refrain from any action or comments that may be construed as being repugnant to the honour and dignity of women.
“Taking note of the various trends and cases of plummeting levels of political campaign discourse in recently held elections, the Election Commission of India has issued further advisory to all political parties to maintain decorum and utmost restraint in public campaigning and raise the level of election campaigning to ‘issue’ based debate,” the poll body said.
Focus on Model Code
The ECI has put the star campaigners and candidates on notice’ in case of violations that followed the previously known methodologies during elections to avoid the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
The Election Commission will assess any indirect MCC violations as per advisory as a fair basis to re-work the notices to be given in terms of time and content in the forthcoming elections.
“For the General Election to Lok Sabha and General Election to four State Legislative Assemblies, all phases and geographical area of elections shall be the basis to determine ‘repeat’ offences,” it added.
The commission has urged all political parties, their leaders, and contesting candidates to remain within the confines of the MCC and legal framework.
“It has been emphasised that any genres of surrogate or indirect violation of MCC and surrogate means to plumate level of election campaign will be dealt with stern action by the Commission,” the ECI warned.
The poll body also said that while enjoying the privileges granted by Section 77 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, star campaigners also bear the responsibility of upholding the highest ethical standards during election campaigns.
The terms of the Lok Sabha and the assemblies in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim will end in June. These four states will witness simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections. In 2019, the parliamentary polls were announced on March 10. The counting of votes took place on May 23.
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