General Elections 2019: Model Code of Conduct OR 'Modi' Code of Conduct

Voting has completed in 4 of 7 phases. 374 constituencies has already made their choice in terms of their future leaders. 169 constituencies is yet to decide their fate in the next three scheduled phases. But with all that one thing which has disappointed me the most this election season is the mediocre performance of the ECI (Election Commission of India). Phase by phase polling laws are violated where the Election Commissioner ridiculously fails to conduct the elections in a free and fair manner.Till now the ECI was well known for conducting elections across India in a well organised manner, but this time it seems that it is one of the another government institutions which has transformed itself as a puppet of the ruling Government.

A man who politicized the whole Indian Army.

A day ago an investigation from leading print media agency, Scroll.in has found the evidence of how the think tank of the central government, NITI Ayog has asked the bureaucrats from various states to provide PMO with information regarding the area which incumbent PM and BJPs Lok Sabha candidate from Varanasi, Narendra Modi will be visiting on the campaign trail. According to the Email sent to the officials the data must carry information regarding history, local heroes, culture, religion etc. If we go by the rules of EC, this is a complete violation of the MCC (Model code of conduct). When the investigation was further expanded it was found that Modi has repeatedly used the information provided by the states bureaucrats in the areas of Gondia and Latoor located in the state of Maharashtra. He is also alleged of taking assistance from various gazetted officers over a period of time who were already on their government duties. If the violations are confirmed then the incumbent PM Narendra Modi can even be convicted with some serious allegations. According to the Representation of People Act of 1951 he can even be disqualified for holding any government position for next 6 years.If we face towards history, on 12 June 1975 it was the same allegation in which Indira Gandhi was found guilty by the Allahabad High Court under section 123 (7)(a) of the act. She was disqualified for a period of 6 years from holding elected office and thus from being PM. It now depends on the court whether they do the same with Modi or comes out as another parrot of the Central Government.

(Left) Indira Gandhi vs Raj Narain judgement
(Right) Original Mail sent to bureaucrats by the NITI Ayog

Few days earlier, the leading opposition party demanded an inquiry from the EC over a suspicious 'Black Trunk' being carried away from PMs convoy during a poll campaign in Karnataka’s Chitradurga. Retaliating that Mohammed Mosin, IAS officer from Karnataka who was posted as general observer dared to check the Modi’s convoy during a rally in sambalpur, Odisha. He was immediately suspended whereas no reports were shared with him regarding the grounds of his suspension. His suspension was later revoked but he was eventually debarred from taking part in further election related activities. This raises another big question whether Modi has become such a larger than life figure who is subject to following no rules implemented by the Election Commission of India. Contrary to him few days later, a team of flying squad inspected the chopper of Odisha’s CM Naveen Patnaik  in Rourkela, Odisha where with extreme humility the incumbent CM cooperated with the team. His whole convoy was checked including his shaving kit. It was a lesson by an old politician for those arrogant politicians who misbehaves with the officials when their sealed suitcases and helicopters are checked.

Unsolved mystery of the black trunk.

In this election with administrative norms many moral ethics are on line as well. Leaders from all parties were repeatedly seen crossing their limits in front of the mammoth crowd. False allegations, abuses and polarising speeches has now become the part of the lives of modern day Indian politicians where the Election Commission can now be seen as thakur of Sholay, who is alive but can’t function. During all the election season one person who is always in the news is the UP CM Adityanath. With his hate provoking speeches he can continuously be found polarising people on the name of Ali and Bajrangbali. During 2018 Assembly elections in Rajasthan he gave a much controversial statement quoting “You keep your Ali, we have our Bajrangbali!”. It is not new to him as politicians like him has mastered the art of dividing the people on the name of religion. It’s more a shame on people of India who has elected people like him on such a high post in the political system. Another right wing leader Maneka Gandhi whom I once considered as a fine leader was now found threatening the Muslim voters on how she is not going to work for them if they didn’t voted for her. She is an union minister in the GOI who was elected by people of all the communities. Sometimes I think, why people waste so much  amount of time and money on higher level education when ultimately they have to practice such a third class politics.

UP CM Adityanath and Maneka Gandhi

Not to my surprise another Dalit leader, this time from opposition, Mayawati (Ex CM of UP) was too found polarising people and openly asking Muslims to vote for the alliance of her party. Similar to her, Navjot Singh Sidhu who is now in the Congress party was also found violating the MCC laws by asking the voters of Muslim community by not to split their vote for other regional parties and cast their vote directly in favour of his grand old party. Between all this one statement which disappointed me the most was the one given by the senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan. Here in front of the large crowd in UP he shamelessly gave the statement of the ‘Khaki Underwear’ against his female rival Jaya Prada. This was not only an example of pity politics but also how women are treated in Indian politics. Providing reservations and election tickets will not empower women. Real empowerment will come when the man of the society will morally stand with the women to rebuild a new India. These were the examples of some of the leaders who succeeded in making the news headlines with their false statements. But there were various other leaders across the whole country who shamelessly violated the rules and no strict action was taken against them by the ECI. EC did banned the above leaders from holding public campaigns for 24, 48 and even 72 hours, but this was clearly not enough to bring the tongue of the politicians in the right row.

Mayawati, Navjot Sidhu and Azam Khan

Beyond all this two leaders who has horrendously destroyed the MCC regulations are Narendra Modi and BJP President and Lok Sabha candidate from Gandhinagar Mr. Amit Shah. Indian Army is a sacred thing to the nation, but these two chaps has shamelessly politicised it on various instances during the campaign trail. It all began when UP CM Adityanath called Indian Army as ‘Modi ji ki Sena’. Then there was no end to it. Amit Shah in another rally stated Indian Air Force as ‘Modi ji ki Air Force’. The PM himself was found telling people of how he went to Pakistan and destroyed the enemy camps. This was not a thing of one or two instances. Politicians like them has repeatedly violated the laws, politicised the army and instead of feeling shameful were found asking for votes on the name of martyrs. The limits were crossed when on the polling day in Gandhinagar the duo of Modi and Shah were found holding a road show in an open Mahindra jeep on  the roads of Gandhinagar. Who does a road show just because he has cast his vote? But now this man has started disrespecting Gods too. Never before in the past but this time in Varanasi Ganga aarti was delayed by more than half an hour just because the PM was supposed to join it. Previously, action against Congress President Rahul Gandhi  was taken by EC in a single day, against Maneka Gandhi and Adityanath in 4 days but it has been 26 days and counting and no strict action has been taken against the fascist leaders of the saffron party. This is for the first time EC has been found in  such a helpless situation where even after a strike from Supreme Court it is delaying action against Modi and Amit Shah. Are these autocrats above the Indian Constitution?

Constitution, what's that?

In 2019, Sunil Arora led EC has not only failed in implementation of laws but failed on the field too. They have already made a big mess by dividing these General Elections into 7 phases. As usual reports hailed from various areas where people complained of faulted EVMs and VVPATs. This is usual but this time the stats were high. According to one of the news coming from UP, the voter complaint of how he was pressing the elephant button but the vote was directly going to the lotus. On the EVMs only name of candidate, his photograph and his party symbol is allowed but in many EVMs it was found how the name of parties were written next to their party symbols. Along with it many technical faults were found in the machinery which clearly disorganized the political process. Many polling booths were reportedly found not friendly to the disabled voters. The complaints started coming out from the first phase only but the EC has yet not taken any steps to solve it.

Violence and bogus voting has become a mandatory part of Indian elections.

A high amount of Bogus voting was reported in the states of Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and UP. Violence related activities between the TMC and BJP supporters in Bengal, YSR Congress and TDP chaos in AP too proved of how the security forces has failed to conduct safer elections in the polling booths. In many parts of the country voters were forced to vote  for a particular party in front of the deployed forces which clearly presents a new image of new India which runs only on ‘Danda’ and ‘Jhanda’. Names of around 1.2 Million eligible women voters is absent from the voters list. With this there are many issues which the EC has failed to solve over the years such as excessive use of money beyond the set limit, distribution of Booz and freebies by the candidates to the voters prior to the polling day. Has these issues become a mandatory part of the Indian Elections or will there be any solution of them in the coming future?

Elections 2019.

Few days ago I wrote an article on how India conducted its first ever General Elections in the year 1951-52 under the leadership of our first CEC Mr. Sukumar Sen. It was a moment of pride for the whole nation on the way the team promoted and implemented its successful policies and administrative work. After that we have seen many fearless and hardworking CECs like TN Seshan who always made sure that elections took place across the country in a free and fair manner. Today, when I look at the EC led by Sunil Arora I feel disappointed on how once an organisation known for its values and strength has now became a toy of the ruling party. I feel disheartened when I see the system which took 70 years to build is now getting destroyed in a period of time by few autocratic rulers.

Election Commission is a pure class and an institution on which whole India takes pride. Let’s make sure it works efficiently in a fearless, free and fair manner. Voting is your constitutional right, make sure you use it wisely.