Ludhiana: Parties served notices for violating poll code

Hindustan Times

a day ago

As the bypoll campaign for the Ludhiana West constituency intensifies, various political parties have been served notices for alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), highlighting ongoing scrutiny of electoral norms.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has notably received over 20 notices from the district election commission for repeated breaches of the MCC. These notices reportedly pertain to unauthorised hoardings and the organisation of public gatherings without prior permission, among other electoral irregularities.
The district election commission has issued over 20 notices to the district president of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for repeated violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during the ongoing bypoll campaign in Ludhiana West constituency. According to officials, these notices pertain to unauthorised hoardings, holding public gatherings without permission, and other breaches of election norms.
In comparison, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has been issued four notices, while the Congress party has received two.
District commissioner-cum-district election officer Himanshu Jain has affirmed that all actions are taken strictly based on received complaints and verified evidence, such as photographs and field reports. Despite this assurance, political observers and rival parties have voiced concerns about the impartiality of the election machinery, with the stark difference in the number of notices drawing particular attention and prompting allegations of preferential treatment.
Meanwhile, Jain has urged citizens to actively report any MCC violations through the cVIGIL mobile application, developed by the Election Commission of India (ECI). He stated that all complaints submitted via the app are addressed within a timeframe of 100 minutes. Since the by-election was announced on May 25, a total of 556 complaints have been received through the cVIGIL app, all of which are reported to have been resolved. The cVIGIL app facilitates public reporting of various violations, including the unauthorised use of loudspeakers, distribution of freebies, or illegal rallies, and is accessible on both Android and iOS platforms.
As the election campaign enters its final phase, officials are reinforcing calls for all political parties to strictly adhere to MCC guidelines. However, the apparent discrepancy in the issuance of notices remains a prominent talking point, with the election commission yet to provide an official clarification on the matter.