NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has written to the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and BJP president JP Nadda seeking their response on the MCC violation complaints registered by the two parties against each other during the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly poll campaigns.
Complaints have been registered against their alleged acts of omission and commission during the assembly poll campaigns in the two states.
Attaching the complaints with its communication to Kharge and Nadda, the ECI asked them to comment on the complaints against star campaigners of the other party.
While the BJP had complained against Rahul Gandhi, the Congress had complained to the poll panel over some remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in their poll speeches.
The poll panel has sought formal responses from both the party presidents by 1 pm on Monday, November 18, 2024, while reminding them of ECI’s earlier advisory to them dated May 22, 2024, during Lok Sabha Elections, to keep star campaigners and leaders under check so that “public decorum is not flouted and MCC is followed in letter and spirit” during the election campaign.
The ECI wrote to Nadda asking him to comment on the complaint filed by the Congress against the BJP.
In its letter to Kharge, the poll panel said, “It is in receipt of a complaint dated November 11 from BJP alleging violation of provisions of MCC by Star Campaigners of INC during the canvassing of current elections to Legislative Assemblies of Jharkhand and Maharashtra and several bye-elections.”
The poll body sent a similar letter to Nadda.
The BJP had on November 11 lodged a complaint with the ECI against Rahul Gandhi’s claim that the BJP wanted to “destroy the Constitution”.
Congress had complained to the EC on November 13 against PM Modi and Amit Shah alleging violation of MCC.
Party leader Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, accused the two senior BJP leaders of “divisive, false, and malicious speeches” in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
“Our complaints to the Election Commission against the PM and the Union home minister for their divisive, false, and malicious speeches given in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. We have asked the EC to investigate BJP and its functionaries for their brazen electoral violations. We hope EC acts on these complaints with the urgency they require,” Ramesh wrote on X.
He went on to add: “In his statements, Narendra Modi levelled allegations against prominent leaders of the INC and former Prime Ministers namely Late Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. Mr Modi alleged that the INC leaders were opposed to the SC, ST communities and Tribe and OBC.”
“During his (Amit Shah) speech, Shah alleged that INC and its allies were against SC, ST and OBC and promoting terrorism in the country,” the congress leader added.
The first phase of the Jharkhand Assembly elections has concluded with voting held in 43 of 81 assembly seats. Elections for the remaining 38 seats in Jharkhand and 288 seats in Maharashtra will take place on November 20. Votes will be counted on November 23.
