December 25, 2011 admin

ECI ISSUES GUIDELINES ON MODEL CODE OF CONDUCT

Chandigarh December 25;  The Election Commission of India( ECI) today issued detailed guidelines of the Model Code of Conduct which has come into force immediately after the formal announcement of the schedule of the General Elections to the state Legislative assembly last evening.
In a press release issued here today, a spokesman of the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer Punjab said that the ministers shall not combine their official visit with electioneering work and shall also not make use of their official machinery and personnel during the elections. Government transport including official air-crafts, vehicles, machinery and personnel shall not be used for furtherance of the interest of the Party in Power. Public places such as maidans etc for holding election meetings and use of helipads for air-flights in connection with elections shall not be monopolized by the party in power. Other parties and candidates shall be allowed to use such places and facilities on the same terms and conditions on which they are used by the party in power.
Adding further, he said that the official buildings and government accommodations shall not be monopolized by the party in power or its candidates and such accommodations shall be used by other parties and candidates in a fair manner but no party or candidate shall be allowed to use such buildings as a campaign office for holding any public meeting for the purposes of election propaganda.
Referring to the media advertisements, he said that issue of advertisements at the cost of public exchequer in the news papers and other media and the misuse of official mass media during the election period for partisan coverage of the party in power shall be scrupulously avoided. Ministers and other authorities shall not sanction grants/ payments out of their discretionary funds after the announcement of the election schedule. The ECI has also put a stop on the fresh release of funds under the MPs’ / MLAs’ Local Area Development Schemes till the completion of the entire election process.. Similarly ministers and other authorities shall not make any promise wooing or influencing the voters, make any ad-hoc appointments in government, public undertaking etc. which may have the effect of influencing the voters in favor of the party in power.
He also said that the ECI has directed to ensure complete ban on the transfer of all officers/officials connected with the conduct of the elections till the Due Constitution Notification is issued in the respective states.

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