Following the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct on Thursday, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer issued notices to the Tripura Congress and BJP for advocating for a vote in favour of their own parties, which was tweeted from their official accounts, news agency ANI reported.
The tweets, according to the Election Commission, are illegal since they were sent within the 48-hour “silence period” that began on Tuesday evening. Voting for the state’s 60-member Assembly began at 7 a.m. on Thursday.
They have been given an a chance “to take corrective action at the earliest”. They have also been asked to clarify their positions on the infraction by Friday at 5 p.m. ” … an appeal for vote in favour of BJP has been tweeted from your handle at 0950 hours on 16.02.2023. The tweet is in form of a photo containing following message: Unnato Tripura Sreshtho Tripura Vote for BJP,” reads the official notice.
#TripuraElections2023 | Office of the Chief Electoral Officer sends notices to Tripura Congress and BJP for “an appeal for vote in the favour” of their own parties tweeted from their official handles after the imposition of Model Code of Conduct. pic.twitter.com/vNWBVm04vs
— ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2023
It claimed the tweet violated section 126 (l)(b) of the Representation of the People Act of 1951, which prohibits showing election material to the public via cinematograph, television, or other similar apparatus in a polling area for 48 hours after the hour fixed for the conclusion of the poll for any election in that polling area.
An identical warning to the Tripura BJP indicated a request for vote in favour of BJP was tweeted from BJP account at 8 am on Thursday.
More than 51.42 per cent voters cast their votes till 1 pm on Thursday in the Tripura Assembly polls which is under session in all 60 seats amid intense security.
In the poll-bound neighbouring northeastern state, many incidences of violence, attacks, and counter-attacks were recorded. At least 60 opposition party activists were injured when governing party workers attacked them in the districts of South, Gomati, Sepahijala, and West Tripura.
What Is Modal Code Of Conduct?
The MCC is a collection of norms imposed by the ECI to ensure free and fair elections. It is a collection of regulations that have formed as a result of political parties agreeing to follow the ideas reflected in such code. It also obligates them to respect and follow it in text and spirit.
The MCC is valid from the day of notification of the schedule of an election, whether to the Parliament, state Assemblies, or districts, and lasts until the election.
The MCC is valid across the poll-bound state in the case of Assembly elections. The MCC is valid across the country in the case of Parliamentary or general elections.
The ECI guarantees that political parties, especially ruling parties at the federal and state levels, follow the code. The ECI guarantees that elections to the Parliament and state legislatures are free, fair, and peaceful.
It also assures that official electoral apparatus is not abused. Furthermore, it assures the prevention of electoral offences, malpractices, and corrupt activities such as impersonation, bribery, and inducement of votes, as well as threats and intimidation of voters.