EC asks Bihar government, political parties to comply with Model Code of Conduct norms

With the Election Commission of India (ECI) having announced the schedule for Bihar Assembly elections on October 6, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) immediately came into effect and as per norms, directions to the state Chief Secretary and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) have been issued regarding its imposition.

The MCC shall also be applicable to the Central Government so far as announcements and policy decisions for Bihar are concerned, the ECI said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Commission has directed to ensure strict compliance with the instructions related to removal of defacement from government, public and private property; misuse of official vehicles or government accommodation by any political party, candidate or any other person connected with election; and ban on issuance of advertisement at the cost of public exchequer.

The privacy of citizens must be respected, with no demonstrations or picketing outside private residences, the poll panel has directed the state government.

A complaint monitoring system has been set up, including a call centre number 1950 in which complaint can be lodged by any member of the public or political party, with the District Election Officer (DEO) or returning officer concerned. This system is now operational 24X7, the ECI informed.

Citizens and political parties can also report MCC violations using the C-Vigil App on ECINET.

As many as 824 flying squads have been deployed across the state to ensure that the complaints are attended to within 100 minutes.

Political parties are required to inform the police authorities in advance of meetings and processions to enable traffic and security arrangements, to comply with prohibitory orders and to obtain necessary permissions for loudspeakers or other facilities.

Ministers shall not combine official duties with electioneering or use government machinery, transport, or personnel for campaign purposes, the ECI said further.

The commission has further directed that there will be a ban on the transfer of all officers connected with the conduct of elections.

Also officials at all levels have been directed to act impartially in enforcing MCC, ensuring equal treatment of all parties and preventing misuse of official facilities.

They must regulate meetings, processions and polling arrangements fairly, safeguard law and order and maintain the credibility of the electoral process.

It has been further directed that public places such as maidans and helipads must be equally available to all parties on the same terms.

The SUVIDHA module has been activated on ECINET where political parties can apply for usage of such public places which should be allocated on first- come, first-served basis.