HYDERABAD: Over 24 hours after the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect following the announcement of the election schedule on October 9, government websites started to remove the photographs of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, members of the State Cabinet and other elected representatives. This is despite clear directives from the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj to remove them within a day.
At the time of filing this report, the government departments that were yet to comply with these instructions and continued to host these photographs on their websites included the Roads and Buildings, Information and Technology, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, Commercial Taxes, Veterinary and Animal Husbandry, Municipal Administration and Urban Development and Ground Water departments, apart from the Drugs Control Administration, Directorate of Medical Education, Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA), Telangana State Institute of Rural Development (TSIRD), Department of Ayush, Telangana Vaidya Vidhana Parishad, Telangana State Council for Higher Education, State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas, Telangana State Haj Committee, and others.
Election authorities have announced that government departments with official websites still featuring the photographs of these leaders will be instructed to remove them. Failure to do so will result in action for violating the MCC. The guidelines outlined in the MCC directives by the ECI and the state chief electoral officer explicitly state that all references to ministers, including the prime minister, chief minister, politicians, or political parties available on Union or State government websites must be removed without delay.
In accordance with the compendium of instructions on the MCC issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI), clear directions have been given for the deletion of all references to ministers and politicians on official government websites during the election period. It is worth noting that some government departments have taken the steps necessary to remove the photographs of ministers and others from their official websites.