The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday sent separate letters to BJP president JP Nadda and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, each asking them to respond to the complaint filed by the other party.
The ECI sought their formal reply by 1 pm on Monday and recalled an earlier advisory for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to the two leaders directing them to abide by the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) to ensure its campaign ethics.
Acting on the complaints made by BJP and Congress against the other, the poll body asked them to comment on the alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during campaigns for the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, as well as bypolls in West Bengal, Punjab, Karnataka and several other states.
The Commission also reminded the party chiefs about its advisory released during the Lok Sabha polls, directing parties to ensure that their star campaigners maintain public decorum and follow the MCC during campaigning.
The Congress has filed a complaint against the ECI for strategically placing advertisements on Marathi language television channels to promote the Mahayuti campaign. Maharashtra Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant said a television channel was airing the advertisements, which displayed the Shiv Sena campaign slogan apart from a few features.
Stating that similar advertisements have also appeared on other Marathi channels, Sawant called for action against the advertisers.
Meanwhile, the BJP has accused some Muslim organisations of trying to influence elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand on religious lines.
BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said All India Muslim Personal Law Board functionary Maulana Sajjad Nomani urged Muslims to support the Mahavikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra. Bhatia also highlighted a call by the Lohardaga unit of the Jharkhand-based Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind urging Muslims to vote for the Congress-Jammu-RJD-CPI(M) Mukti alliance. The BJP has called for action by the ECI and the Supreme Court.
