Keeping in view the Gram Panchayat elections in Punjab, the State Election Commission (SEC) on Thursday issued strict instructions for the proper implementation of the model code of conduct.
The Commission has made it clear that any one can lodge compliant of code violation against any candidate or political party before the election observers. For the same, the commission has authorized the district electoral officer or deputy commissioners and the police “to initiate prosecution against violation of model code of conduct before the competent criminal courts under intimation to the State Election Commissioner”.
“The code would be known as code of conduct for the local bodies’ election and this would be applied to political parties, contesting candidates, ministers, employees of the state government and local bodies and other public servant connected with local bodies’ elections,” stated the SEC spokesperson.
He further added that no party or candidate shall indulge in any activity which may aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic. The SEC has already issued a detailed guidelines on the code of conduct.