Taking cognizance of various complaints Congress and BJP filed against each other over poll code violations, the Election Commission has issued notices to both parties. The parties are expected to submit their responses to the Election Commission's queries by Monday, November 18, 2024.
The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday issued notices to the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Jagat Prakash Nadda and the president of the Congress party Mallikarjun Kharge, asking them to respond to complaints filed by both parties against each other over alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by star campaigners during the ongoing election campaigns for Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
The rival parties also raised complaints regarding Assembly elections, as well as by-polls in several other states, including West Bengal, Punjab, and Karnataka.
The EC specifically referenced the advisory issued during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, reminding political parties of the need to ensure that their prominent campaigners maintain public decorum and adhere to the MCC during electioneering.
Complaints from the BJP
The BJP has filed a formal complaint against senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of making false statements about the Indian Constitution and attempting to create discord between states during his campaign speeches in Maharashtra. The party’s complaint, lodged on November 11, claims that Gandhi's remarks, delivered during rallies in Maharashtra, were designed to sow division and mislead voters.
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, speaking on behalf of the BJP, alleged that Gandhi had made baseless remarks while addressing crowds in Maharashtra on November 6. “Rahul Gandhi tried to mislead the public by distorting facts and creating false narratives to pit states against each other,” Meghwal claimed.
Complaints from the Congress
The Congress, on the other hand, has filed two separate complaints against BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing them of delivering divisive and misleading speeches in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. The Congress petitioned the EC to investigate Modi and Shah’s campaign statements, calling them “false, malicious, and divisive.”
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh shared details of the party’s complaints on X, urging the EC to take action against the BJP and its leaders. “We have asked the Election Commission to investigate these brazen violations of the Model Code of Conduct by the Prime Minister and the Home Minister,” Ramesh wrote.
The Assembly elections in Jharkhand are being held in two phases, the first phase concluded on November 13 and the second phase is scheduled for November 20. Meanwhile, Maharashtra will vote in a single phase on November 20. Both states are set to count votes on November 23.