National

ETV Bharat / state

Did Priyanka violate poll code?

Congress General Secretary for UP East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticised the BJP-led government at the Centre and said that farmer distress and unemployment were on the rise in India. She made the comments after casting her vote at a polling booth in New Delhi's Lodha Estate.

PGV

By

Published : May 12, 2019, 2:26 PM IST

Updated : May 12, 2019, 2:39 PM IST

New Delhi: Congress General Secretary for UP East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday raked up several issues, as she hit out at the BJP-led government at the Centre. She made the comments outside a polling booth in New Delhi.

Priyanka said unemployment and farmer distress are on the rise

After exercising her franchise along with her husband Robert Vadra at a polling booth in New Delhi Constituency's Lodha Estate, Priyanka spoke to reporters outside, where she strongly criticised the BJP-led government. She claimed that farmer distress and unemployment have risen under the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Over the past five years, the number of jobs has not risen, but has actually come down. Farmer income has almost halved, and they are clearly distressed. Even the women today are not safe - these are the issues," she said.

She later went on to claim that the Congress 'will win'.

Gautam Debroy reporting for ETV Bharat from Nirvachan Sadan
What does the Model Code of Conduct say?

In its guidelines for the Model Code of Conduct, the Election Commission dictates that Candidates or parties should not indulge in any activity to lure and intimidate voters. Section 126 of the Model Code of Conduct prohibits any person from addressing the public 'in connection with an election' or 'propagate any election matter to the public' through any performance 'with a view to attracting the members of the public'. It defines 'election matter' as 'any matter intended or calculated to influence or affect the result of an election.' Politicians are prohibited from doing the above 'during the period of 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for the close of the poll.'

At the time Priyanka made the comment, polling was still underway in all seven Lok Sabha constituencies of Delhi. Since Priyanka is not a candidate from Delhi, it remains to be seen whether the Election Commission sees this incident under the ambit of the Model Code of Conduct.

Read: Bharat Decides 2019 LIVE: Political bigwigs cast vote in Delhi

Last Updated : May 12, 2019, 2:39 PM IST

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

...view details