New Delhi: A total of 2,68,080 complaints have been filed on cVigil, the Commission’s portal on violations for citizens ever since the model code of conduct came into effect a month ago.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) said of these, action has been taken in 2,67,762 cases and 92% were resolved in an average of less than 100 minutes.
“Because of the efficacy of the cVigil, there is a substantial reduction in illegal hoardings, defacement of property, campaigning beyond permissible time, and deployment of vehicles beyond permitted ones,” the ECI claimed today.
The Model Code of Conduct came into effect with the announcement of the general elections to the Lok Sabha on March 16, 2024. The ECI said since then approximately 200 complaints have been lodged by the political parties and candidates at the level of ECI and across States. Of these, action has been taken in 169 cases. A total of 16 delegations from seven political parties met the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the last month to lodge their complaints on alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and related matters, the ECI stated today.
Offering the breakup of complaints, the ECI informed that the total complaints received from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were 51, out of which action has been taken in 38 cases; complaints from the Indian National Congress (INC) were 59, with action taken in 51 cases; complaints received from other parties were 90, out of which action has been taken in 80 cases.
The ECI also effected suo motu removal of officers holding dual charges as Principal Secretaries to Chief Ministers in six states namely Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, as they were holding charge of Home / General Administration department also. This was to distance election-related senior officers with control over, District Magistrates, District Election Officers (DEOs), Returning Officers (ROs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs), from Chief Minister’s offices.
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The ECI also removed the Director General of Police of West Bengal, suo motu, as he was barred from election duty in previous elections. The Commission also effected suo motu transfer of non-cadre officers who were posted at leadership positions as District Magistrate (DM) and Superintendent of Police (SP) in four states namely Gujarat, Punjab, Odisha and West Bengal. Moreover, it transferred officers in Punjab, Haryana and Assam because of their kinship or familial association with the elected political representatives.
The ECI also gave a directive to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to stop the transmission of the Government of India’s Viksit Bharat message on WhatsApp on complaint from INC and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), directive to MeitY, post the announcement of the elections. On complaint from these two parties, it also gave the directive to all States and Union Territories for compliance with ECI instructions on removing defacement from Government and public premises with immediate effect. On complaint from INC, it also issued directions to the Cabinet Secretary for compliance with ECI instructions on removing defacement from Government and public premises including hoardings, photos, and messages from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) trains and petrol pump, highways, etc.
On complaint from the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK), an FIR was registered against a BJP Minister Shobha Karandlaje for her “unverified allegations” on Rameshwar Blast Café. Another FIR was lodged against remarks made Anitha R Radhakrishnan of the DMK towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Further, following a complaint by the INC, the Commission asked the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to verify the mismatch in assets declaration by Union Minister Chandrasekharan in his affidavit. Besides, the ECI also issued notice to BJP leader Dilip Ghosh for his “objectionable and disrespectable” remarks towards West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee, following a complaint by Mamta’s Trinamool Congress.
Similarly, it issued notice to INC leaders Supriya Shrinate and Surjewala for their “derogatory remarks against BJP candidates Kangana Ranaut and Hema Malini respectively. The complaint in this regard was lodged by the BJP.
On complaint from the AAP against anonymous advertisements in hoardings cum billboards in the Delhi Municipal Commission area without giving names of publishers, the Commission issued guidelines plugging the gap in law. Giving wider amplitude to the meaning of ‘Pamphlet and poster’ in the existing law by including hoardings, the ECI issued guidelines to Chief Secretaries of all States and UTs, mandating the clear identification of printer and publisher on printed election-related material including hoardings, ensuring accountability and transparency in campaign communications.
Besides, on the INC’s complaint, it directed Municipal authorities in Delhi to remove cutouts of star campaigners from various colleges.
“In enforcing the Model Code, the Commission has been guided by its mandated responsibility, legal premises, institutional wisdom, equality, and transparency in dealings and irrespective of status and influence of persons concerned and irrespective of political affiliations,” the ECI claimed. It added that with a month completed since the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect, it was “broadly satisfied” with the compliance of the code by political parties. It claimed that campaigns by various parties and candidates have remained largely “clutter-free” so far.
– global bihari bureau
