The Election Commission issued a notice to both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress on Thursday, following recent allegations of Model Code violations in speeches and comments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi during rallies.
The poll panel, whose response was eagerly anticipated regarding the conduct of a fair election, has requested a reply from the presidents of both parties, JP Nadda of the BJP and Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress, by 11 am on Monday, April 29.
In a statement spanning two pages released this morning, the ECI emphasized that “star campaigners” like Prime Minister Modi and Rahul Gandhi, are expected to uphold a higher standard of discourse, acknowledging that this can sometimes become distorted amidst the fervor of local contests. It appears that the responsibility for maintaining this elevated discourse has been delegated to the respective parties.
The ECI expressed its belief that parties must take primary responsibility for the conduct of their candidates, particularly star campaigners. Sources within the poll panel highlighted that the onus is now on Mr. Nadda and Mr. Kharge to control their key figures. They also referenced previous incidents involving Congress leader Supriya Shrinate and BJP’s Dilip Ghosh, where the Election Commission had directly issued notices of censure.
However, in contrast to those cases, where the Election Commission addressed the leaders individually for making “low-level personal attacks,” this time, it directed its notice to both the Congress and the BJP, highlighting that being national parties, they are expected to set high standards of compliance with the Model Code of Conduct.
While the BJP is yet to respond to the EC’s notice, Jairam Ramesh, Congress communication head, took a swipe at the poll panel, suggesting bias in their approach. He remarked that they are “super super cautious when it comes to the PM and super cautious when it comes to the HM (Home Minister Amit Shah).”
When announcing the dates for the seven-phase election, the Election Commission had cautioned politicians against crossing the “red line,” which includes misleading advertisements and personal attacks on opponents during campaigning.