16 November,2024 06:37 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
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With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress accusing each other's senior leaders of violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) implemented ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 and Jharkhand polls, the Election Commission (EC) on Saturday sought responses from both the chiefs: JP Nadda and Mallikarjun Kharge.
According to news agency ANI, the EC has asked both the party presidents to comment on the complaints lodged against their respective star campaigners, attaching the complaints in its communication to them. The BJP had filed a complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, while the opposition party had raised concerns about the remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior leader Amit Shah.
EC has asked both Nadda and Kharge to provide their formal responses by 1 pm on Monday. The commission also reminded the party leaders of its previous advisory issued during the May 2024 Lok Sabha elections, urging all political parties to ensure that star campaigners and leaders adhere to public decorum and comply with the MCC during election campaigns, ANI reported.
In a letter to Congress President Kharge, the EC referred to a complaint from the BJP, dated November 11, which alleged that Congress's star campaigners had violated the MCC during the ongoing election campaigns in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. The letter directed Kharge to send his comments by the specified deadline.
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A similar letter was sent to BJP President Nadda in response to the complaint filed by Congress.
On November 11, the BJP lodged a complaint with EC, accusing Gandhi of making "inflammatory" statements, including his claim that the ruling party aimed to "destroy the Constitution." Union Minister and BJP leader Arjun Ram Meghwal explained that the BJP delegation had met with the Chief Election Commissioner to raise the issue, claiming that Gandhi's remarks were divisive and aimed at stoking tensions between states, ANI reported.
On November 13, Congress filed a complaint with the EC against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing them of making divisive and false statements during their campaign speeches in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), said the party had asked the EC to investigate the BJP for electoral violations.
Ramesh also highlighted that in his speeches, Modi made accusations against prominent Congress leaders, including former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi, claiming they were opposed to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC). Meanwhile, Amit Shah's remarks allegedly accused the Congress and its allies of being opposed to these communities and promoting terrorism in the country.
The first phase of voting in the Jharkhand Assembly elections concluded on November 15, with elections held in 43 of the 81 seats. The remaining 38 seats in Jharkhand and all the 288 seats in Maharashtra will go to the polls on November 20. Votes will be counted on November 23.
(With ANI inputs)
