Complaint lodged over alleged violation of Model Code Conduct by Congress in Chhattisgarh

The Election Commission on 10th of March announced the polling dates for the upcoming 2019 general elections. Consequently, Model Code of Conduct was also applicable after the announcements were made. Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines laid down by the Election Commission to facilitate free and fair elections. With Election Commission monitoring over the election process, it also keeps an eye over political parties following the laid guidelines for contesting the elections.

Reports of alleged violations of Model Code of Conduct by the Congress government in the state of Chhattisgarh have surfaced. The issue was highlighted by Ajit Jogi’s son Amit Jogi who has complained to the Election Commission regarding the same. Amit Jogi in his letter to state election commission had said, “It seems Chhattisgarh is not ruled by the Constitution but by a special person.”

A sum of Rs 50 lakhs has been given to the tainted National Herald newspaper by the state government, which is led by Congress, for advertisements. National Herald a Delhi based Newspaper, has been making the rounds of media over a corruption scandal involving Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. This is an upfront violation of the Model Code of Conduct as the 4^th point, Part VII of the Model Code of Conduct for the guidance of political parties and candidates states, “Issue of advertisement at the cost of public exchequer in the newspapers and other media and the misuse of official mass media during the election period for partisan coverage of political news and publicity regarding achievements with a view to furthering the prospects of the party in power shall be scrupulously avoided.”

The points mentioned in the complaint, filed in the state election commission claim that National Herald is a  nonexistent newspaper in the state of Chhattisgarh, neither does it have any offices in the state and the only motive behind this transaction is to siphon off public money for personal, political and electoral gains.

Another controversy surrounding the transfer of police superintendent of the sensitive Sukma District has emerged. Different news reports have suggested that disagreement between police superintendent and local party leaders over the removal of another officer led to the transfer. The police superintendent was transferred to Raipur just two months after his appointment in Sukma. In the complaint filed it is also mentioned that the transfer also directly violates the Chhattisgarh Police Act 2007. With the overriding of the Model Code of Conduct, there is an environment of fear  among the officials of the state and similar actions are bound to have a detrimental effect on electoral processes of the state.

The complaint also mentions about the misuse of  other state machinery for electoral benefits and calls for stringent action. In a democracy where elections are the major driving force, conducting of free and fair elections is indispensible to smooth and positive functioning of the government. Violations of the Model Code of Conduct are critical issues and should be dealt with utmost seriousness.