The Election Commission of India has issued a notice saying that activities like ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra‘ should not be undertaken in the constituencies where the Model Code of Conduct is in force till December 5. The notice was issued on Thursday (October 26) just few hours after the Narendra Modi government took back their stand on calling IAS officers as ‘Rath Prabharis’. Instead, now they will be addressed as Nodal Officers.
Let it be noted that the ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra‘ is going to start from 20 November, 2023. A letter has been circulated to the Ministries for nomination of senior officers as “District Rath Praharis”. This move of government roping in officers as Rath Praharis faced criticism following the announcement. Henceforth, senior officials would now be addressed as nodal officers and the programme would not be launched in poll-bound states, considering the Model Code of Conduct.
The EC said in its notice ,“The Commission has announced the schedule for General Elections to the Legislative Assemblies of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan & Telangana, 2023 and Bye–election in 43–Tapi (ST) Assembly Constituency of Nagaland on 9th October, 2023. The provisions of the Model Code of Conduct for the guidance of political parties and candidates have come into force from the date of announcement tentatively till 5th December, 2023.”
In one of the two letters he had written to the Election Commission of India on the Union government’s plan, former secretary to the Government of India E.A.S. Sarma had mentioned that public servants taking part in “any activity” that is likely to influence the voters in an election violates the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules and the corresponding conduct rules of the other Central and All India Services”.
Apart from that, he further highlighted that “Under Section 171C of the IPC, “whoever voluntarily interferes or attempts to interfere with the free exercise of any electoral right commits the offence of undue influence at an election. For any public authority to coerce public servants into such activity is punishable not only under the relevant election laws but also under the relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).”
