Model Code of Conduct

Last updated September 05, 2024

The Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India for the conduct of political parties and candidates during elections.^[1] It is a set of norms which deal with matters including speeches, meetings, processions, election manifestos, polling and general conduct. It has been evolved with the consensus of political parties and helps to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections. The Model Code of Conduct comes into force immediately on the announcement of the election schedule and remains in force till the end of the electoral process.^[2]

Structure and features

The model code of conduct consists of seven sections which deal with general conduct, meetings, processions, party in power, polling booth, polling day and election manifestos.^[3]

General conduct

The section deals with general set of guidelines to be followed by the parties and candidates during the election process. It prohibits any discrimination, incitement or speeches based on religion, linguistics or castes and refrains candidates or parties from criticizing others based on their personal private life or unsubstantiated allegations. The section bans all activities against law such as bribing, intimidation, impersonation, unlawful occupation of private property or disturbance to public. Parties shall also not create disturbances to other parties or candidates while campaigning.

Meetings

The section deals with the conduct of meetings. Meetings shall be conducted with prior permission from law enforcement agencies. It directs that any such guidelines and rules laid down by the law enforcement agencies shall be adhered to and permissions obtained from other governmental agencies if required such as for the use of loud speakers.

Procession

Processions organized by political parties shall be conducted with requisite permissions after communication of the required details such as time and place. The parties shall adhere to the plan approved and should not cause any hindrance to traffic or general public. It also bans the usage of undesirable articles and elements and activities such as burning of effigies by people participating in the processions.

Polling day

The section deals with general set of guidelines to be followed by the parties and candidates during the polling day. Political parties and candidates are expected to co-operate with the officials to ensure fair and free conduct of elections. It refrains parties from disturbing the votes or polling process and bans the usage of party symbols, propaganda material and liquor near the polling booths.

Polling Booth

Any grievances shall be taken up only with the observer appointed by the Election Commission.

Party in Power

The section deals with the conduct of the ruling party when the elections are in progress. The government or its constituents shall not disturb or exert influence on the election process. It also prescribes that official work and campaigning shall be kept separate and no official machinery or personnel should be used for campaigning. It also prohibits government from spending public money for propaganda. No schemes or grants should be announced or launched by ministers directly or indirectly through authorities and no appointments/changes shall be made with respect to government personnel with a view to exert undue influence.

Election Manifestos

The section was framed as per directions from the Supreme Court of India and deals with the election manifestos by the political parties. The manifesto shall not contain any promises construed as against the law and the constitution. It also prohibits the release of manifestations in the period prescribed by the Election Commission.

Related Research Articles

India has a parliamentary system as defined by its constitution, with power distributed between the union government and the states. India's democracy is the largest democracy in the world.

Since its establishment in 1947, Pakistan has had a non-symmetric federal government and is a federal parliamentary democratic republic. At the national level, the people of Pakistan elect a bicameral legislature, the Parliament of Pakistan. The parliament consists of a lower house called the National Assembly, which is elected directly via first-past-the-post voting, and an upper house called the Senate, whose members are chosen by elected provincial legislators. The head of government, the Prime Minister, is elected by the majority members of the National Assembly and the head of state, the President, is elected by the Electoral College, which consists of both houses of Parliament together with the four provincial assemblies. In addition to the national parliament and the provincial assemblies, Pakistan also has more than five thousand elected local governments.

General elections were held in Fiji between 6 and 13 May 2006.

Booth capturing, or booth looting, is electoral fraud in which party loyalists or hired criminals "capture" a polling booth and vote in place of legitimate voters to ensure that a particular candidate wins. It is a form of voter suppression.

General elections in Singapore must be held within three months after five years have elapsed from the date of the first sitting of a particular Parliament of Singapore, as per the Constitution. However, Parliament can also be dissolved and a general election called at the behest of the Prime Minister before the five-year period elapses. The number of constituencies or electoral divisions is not permanently fixed by law, but is declared by the Prime Minister prior to each general election pursuant to the Parliamentary Elections Act, which governs the conduct of elections to Parliament, taking into account recommendations of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee.

Rule 49-O was a rule in The Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 of India, which governs elections in the country. It described the procedure to be followed when a valid voter decides not to cast his vote, and decides to record this fact. The rule was declared by the Supreme Court in September 2013 to be incompatible with the constitution and the Election Commission of India announced that the option under this rule would not be available any more. The apparent purpose of this section was to maintain a proper record in order to prevent the election fraud or the misuse of votes.

General elections were held in India in five phases between 16 April 2009 and 13 May 2009 to elect the members of the fifteenth Lok Sabha. With an electorate of 716 million, it was the largest democratic election in the world until being surpassed by the 2014 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffersonville Ethics Commission</span>

The Jeffersonville Ethics Commission is a commission formed in 2006 by an ordinance compiled by the City Council of Jeffersonville, Indiana that was passed unanimously on June 30, 2006. Then it was signed by Mayor Rob Waiz on July 13, 2006. The Commission reviews complaints and subjects of interests in the financing and campaigning of political campaigns in the city of Jeffersonville. The basis for the local ordinance was a model document from the National League of Cities and campaign-finance codes from a variety of U.S. cities, including Chicago and San Antonio.

General elections were held in India between 25 October 1951 and 21 February 1952, the first national elections after India attained independence in 1947. Voters elected the 489 members of the first Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. Elections to most of the state legislatures were held simultaneously.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is an independent, autonomous, permanent and constitutionally established federal body responsible for organizing and conducting elections to the national parliament, provincial legislatures, local governments, and the office of president of Pakistan, as well as the delimitation of constituencies and preparation of electoral rolls. As per the principles outlined in the Constitution of Pakistan, the Commission makes such arrangements as needed to ensure that the election is conducted honestly, justly, fairly and in accordance with law, and guard against corrupt practices. The Election Commission was formed on 23 March 1956.

Election silence, blackout period,pre-election silence, electoral silence, or campaign silence is a ban on political campaigning or media coverage of a general election, before or during that election.

Veeravalli Sundaram Sampath served as 18th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of the Election Commission of India from 2012 to 2015. He succeeded S. Y. Quraishi as the Chief Election Commissioner on 11 June 2012. Born on 16 January 1950, Sampath retired on 15 January 2015 when he attained 65 years of age.

There are five types of elections in the United Kingdom: elections to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elections to devolved parliaments and assemblies, local elections, mayoral elections, and police and crime commissioner elections. Within each of those categories, there may also be by-elections. Elections are held on Election Day, which is conventionally a Thursday, and under the provisions of the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 the timing of general elections can be held at the discretion of the prime minister during any five-year period. All other types of elections are held after fixed periods, though early elections to the devolved assemblies and parliaments can occur in certain situations. The five electoral systems used are: the single member plurality system (first-past-the-post), the multi-member plurality, the single transferable vote, the additional member system, and the supplementary vote.

The Indian general election of 2014 were held to constitute the 16th Lok Sabha in India. Voting took place in all 543 parliamentary constituencies of India to elect members of parliament in the Lok Sabha. The result of this election was declared on 16 May. The 15th Lok Sabha completed its constitutional mandate on 31 May 2014. Since the last general election in 2009, the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement by Anna Hazare, and other similar moves by Baba Ramdev, have gathered momentum and political interest. Issues such as Inflation, price rise and corruption were some of the chief issues.

General elections were held in India in seven phases from 11 April to 19 May 2019 to elect the members of the 17th Lok Sabha. Votes were counted and the result was declared on 23 May. Around 912 million people were eligible to vote, and voter turnout was over 67 per cent – the highest ever, as well as the highest ever participation by women voters until 2024 Indian general election.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a constitutional body established by the Constitution of India empowered to conduct free and fair elections in India. The Election commission is headed by a Chief Election Commissioner and consists of two other Election Commissioners.

General elections were held in India from 19 April to 1 June 2024 in seven phases, to elect all 543 members of the Lok Sabha. Votes were counted and the result was declared on 4 June to form the 18th Lok Sabha. On 7 June 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed the support of 293 MPs to Droupadi Murmu, the president of India. This marked Modi's third term as prime minister and his first time heading a coalition government, with the Telugu Desam Party of Andhra Pradesh and Janata Dal (United) of Bihar emerging as two main allies.

The 2019 Indian general election was held in Kerala on 23 April 2019 to constitute the 17th Lok Sabha.

The 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election was the 17th quinquennial legislative election held in West Bengal, to elect all 294 members of West Bengal Legislative Assembly. This electoral process of 292 seats unfolded between 27 March to 29 April 2021, taking place in eight phases. Voting for the two remaining constituencies was delayed to 30 September 2021]l.

Chief Electoral Officer is a statutory authority created for representing Election Commission of India for conducting elections in states and union territories of India. Constitution of India with introduction of Article 324 made the powers of Chief Electoral Officer(India) independent. Their duties and powers are bound under Section 13 A of Representation of the People Act, 1950 read with Section 20 of Representation of the People Act, 1951.

References

↑ Model Code of Conduct (PDF) (Report). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
↑ "Announcement of Schedule for General Elections to Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha & Sikkim, 2019". Election Commission of India . Retrieved 28 March 2019.
↑ Model Code of Conduct (Report). Election Commission of India . Retrieved 28 March 2019.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Model Code of Conduct (PDF) (Report). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.

[2] "Announcement of Schedule for General Elections to Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha & Sikkim, 2019". Election Commission of India . Retrieved 28 March 2019.

[3] Model Code of Conduct (Report). Election Commission of India . Retrieved 28 March 2019.

[1]

[2]

[3]