EC says poll code will be in force from day assembly is dissolved
The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday said the model code of conduct (MCC) would be enforced from the day of premature dissolution of a state assembly, barring caretaker governments from making any big-ticket announcements.
The new rule will be implemented forthwith in Telangana, where the assembly was dissolved on September 6.
The model code of conduct or MCC is enforced as soon as elections are announced.
Under the rules, the government is barred from making any announcements that can impact poll outcome in election-bound states or disturb the level playing field.
In a letter issued to the central and state governments, the EC said: “The model code of conduct comes into effect immediately after a state assembly is prematurely dissolved.”
Citing the Supreme Court’s decision in the 1994 SR Bommai case that a caretaker government should merely carry on day-to-day governance and desist from taking any major policy decisions, the poll panel reiterated that the MCC will “apply on the caretaker state government as well as on the central government in so far as matters relating to that state are concerned.”
Caretaker governments are
THE EC IS ASSESSING POLL PREPAREDNESS IN TELANGANA AND IS EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE WHETHER ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD IN THE STATE WITH THE OTHER FOUR POLLBOUND STATES
also forbidden from using official resources for non-official purposes and combining official visits with electioneering work.
At present, the EC is assessing poll preparedness in Telangana. It is expected to announce whether elections will be held in the state alongside Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan at the end of this year.
Commenting on the EC’s decision, former chief election commissioner MS Gill said it would have a positive impact on future elections.
“It is a welcome step that will have a salutary effect on future elections. When a Prime Minister or a chief minister dissolves the house prematurely, they do so for political reasons. The caretaker CM is only there to carry on the functions of the government till a new government comes to power with the people’s mandate. Caretaker governments do not have the mandate to spend from the budget,” MS Gill said.