Why worsening quality of campaigns has left EC worried

The ECI said a total of 4,22,432 complaints have been filed by citizens on C-Vigil App/Commission’s portal on violations.

Whoever said : Less is More – should experience the campaign of an Indian general election.

Here the mantra is : More the Merrier.

In the heat and dust of a long campaign a lot is said. Punches are thrown. So far, verbally. And the whole process is largely marked with lack of grace, dignity, or mutual respect. It is a free for all where the voters are packed like sardines in a metaphorical colosseum.

But when the blood hits the floor the Election Commission of India (ECI) steps in as the third umpire. It has issued a 10-point directive to the BJP and Congress, amidst concerns over worsening quality of campaign rhetoric.

The ECI has instructed BJP President JP Nadda and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to issue formal directives to their star campaigners to maintain decorum and exercise caution in their public discourse.

But is this entirely possible? Will star campaigners steer clear of controversial issues? Are these directives going to have an impact?

The ECI noted that the "party currently in power" holds an extra responsibility during election times. And the opposition must also toe the line.

The BJP has been warned against using religious and communal overtones in their campaign speeches. The Congress too has been told to avoid claims that the Constitution of India could be abolished or sold.

Rahul Gandhi saying the INDIA bloc would abolish the Agniveer scheme if elected has hit a trough. The Congress has been warned to refrain from politicising the armed forces.

Referring to JP Nadda's response to an ECI notice after the Congress lodged a complaint alleging 'divisive' campaigning by the BJP, the poll body cited many “hot topics” that featured in speeches made by party's star campaigners.

The overall sweep of those hot topics included mentions of wealth distribution clause in the Congress manifesto, the INDIA alliance's alleged attacks on Sanatan Dharma, 'Shakti' remarks by Congress leaders, calling the Congress manifesto a 'Muslim

League manifesto', Congress claims that the BJP could change the Constitution, and so on.

Congress was also pulled up asking it not to make any unsubstantiated claims, such as the BJP may change the Constitution if they are voted to power.

Let’s take a look at the volume of complaints.

The ECI said a total of 4,22,432 complaints have been filed by citizens on C-Vigil App/Commission’s portal on violations and action has been taken in 4,22,079 (99.9%) cases. 88.7% of complaints were resolved in an average time of less than 100 minutes, said the poll panel.

The BJP has filed 95 Complaints so far with the main highlights being:

1. FIR against MP INC president for making objectionable remarks against a former minister

2. Secretary/Commissioner Mission Shakti Department, Odisha removed for not controlling SHGs’ platform being used to influence polls

3. On Congress’s ‘Ghar Ghar guarantee card’ outreach, ECI asked all parties to “de - sist” from enrolling individuals for post-election schemes

4. Campaign ban against Congress’s Supriya Shrinate & Randeep Surjewala for derogatory remarks against BJP’s Kangana Ranaut and Hema Malini, respectively

Not to be outdone, the Congress filed 170 Complaints with the main ones being:

1. A post from ‘BJP4Karnataka’ X account taken down on being in violation of MCC, FIR also registered

2. On INC’s complaint over morphed images of Congress leaders being put up with a malafide intent on a social media, FIR lodged against Instagram handle ‘Bol Himachal’

3. CEO of Zila Parishad of a district in Haryana transferred for involvement in election campaign for a candidate

4. Repoll ordered in Gujarat’s Dahod over capturing of a polling booth & EVM tampering

When the debate began on how low one could fall, the ECI censured Abhijit Gangopadhyay, BJP candidate for Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency, for his 'what's your price' jab at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a public rally. He was debarred from campaigning, for a period of 24 hours.

The gent happens to be a former judge of Calcutta High Court.

In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, Trinamool leader Derek O’Brien said, "In the said speech, Gangopadhyay has made certain highly offensive utterances, being: 'Mamata Banerjee, how much are you being sold for? Your rate is 10 lakhs, why? Because you're getting your make-up done by Keya Seth? Mamata Banerjee, is she even a woman? I keep wondering sometimes."

After crossing the line if an accused is penalised by getting debarred from campaigning for a day then clearly it is never going to be enough.

Those in the fray know the model code of conduct (MCC) relies heavily on the goodwill of parties and candidates to adhere to the ethical principles laid down. And there lies the problem. These regulations don't operate within a strict legal framework, so penalizing parties or candidates doesn't carry significant weight.

The MCC isn't entirely enforceable in court as a comprehensive rulebook with specified penalties. The ECI argues against formalizing the MCC into law, citing various constraints. Lengthy legal proceedings for violations could disrupt the timebound electoral process.

With social media now determining large parts of a political campaign the niceties of the past are seen as nostalgia. A new aggressive generation is letting it rip using every trick in the book. That has opened the door to misuse of Artificial Intelligence and Deepfakes.

And the mayhem continues.