GUWAHATI: The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Assam has taken a stern stance against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following allegations of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations raised by the CPI(M).
On April 5, the CEO issued a show cause notice to the BJP, seeking an explanation from the state president by April 10.
In the notice, the CEO’s office highlighted that while generic electoral promises are permissible, specific surveys, form distribution, and data collection amount to inducement of electors, which is strictly prohibited under MCC guidelines.
The left party, CPI(M), alleged that the BJP had violated the MCC by conducting a socio-economic survey under the guise of collecting public data.
The notice, a copy of which is available with a national news agency, mentioned that forms bearing the symbol and photographs of BJP’s star campaigners seemed to violate these guidelines upon prima facie scrutiny.
According to Suprakash Talukdar, CPI(M) state secretary, the distributed forms, adorned with photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, assured people of inclusion in government schemes, indicating a breach of electoral conduct.
The BJP’s purported distribution of application forms for a socio-economic survey, promising expansion of the “Orunodoi” scheme, sparked outrage and formal complaints from opposition parties.
The Congress also lodged a written complaint with the CEO’s office on April 5, echoing similar concerns over the BJP’s activities.
As the political landscape intensifies in Assam, all eyes remain on the BJP’s response to the serious allegations levelled against it.
