BJP complains to Chief Electoral Officer against wrongful removal of flags, symbols

Staff Reporter

A BJP delegation on Monday submitted a memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer of Madhya Pradesh to ensure arrangements for installation of flags, banners and wall paintings on private vehicles as per the Model Code of Conduct, under the leadership of Union Minister and State Election In-charge, Bhupendra Yadav. In the memorandum submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer after reaching the Election Commission office at Arera Hills, Yadav said that the information that has come from the workers engaged in the elections duty is that in many districts of Madhya Pradesh, the District Election Officer along with the local administrative officers are not properly following the Model Code of Conduct. The local administration officials are doing the work of removing the flags installed from the houses and vehicles of the active workers of Bharatiya Janata Party and erasing the wall paintings done in the houses of the people with their consent.

The memorandum said that Bharatiya Janata Party flags voluntarily put up on various two-wheelers owned by people and flags put up in the houses of activists are also being removed by the officials, while the manual document for Model Code of Conduct 21, Edition 1, page 103-104 clearly states that political parties, candidates, their agents, workers and supporters can put up banners, flags, cut-outs on their property subject to restrictions under local law or court orders. The BJP delegation said in the memorandum submitted to the Election Commission that putting banners, stickers and flags on vehicles is also allowed by the Election Commission under the rules, whereas in some districts of Madhya Pradesh the officials are ignoring it.

The delegation called for resolution of various issues to ensure fair and inclusive elections. The delegation that submitted the memorandum included the party’s National Spokesperson K K Sharma, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation’s President Vinod Gotia, party’s state minister Rahul Kothari, State Convenor of Election Commission Co-ordination Department S S Uppal, State Convenor of Law Cell Manoj Dwivedi and State Spokesperson Milan Bhargava.

After submitting the memorandum, Bhupendra Yadav said that the Bharatiya Janata Party fully follows the Model Code of Conduct. For the last few days, it was coming to mind that the lotus symbols he had put on the houses of our party workers. The flags that were installed on the houses and two-wheelers of the party workers were deliberately removed. This type of action is against the Model Conduct of Court. Today, in the memorandum submitted to the Election Commission, we have said that under Rule 13 of the Model Code of Conduct, workers of political parties have been allowed to put party flags on vehicles and party symbols on their personal property. In the last election also, in this regard, the Election Commission had given permission to our party workers to put up flags and banners. I have also handed over that letter to the Chief Electoral Officer.