Gwalior: With the Madhya Pradesh High Court putting restrictions on gatherings by political parties for campaigning in assembly by-elections, the Election Commission (EC) has moved the Supreme Court challenging the order.
The poll panel, which is empowered under the Constitution, has issued the guidelines to allow limited political assemblies during the campaigning.
However, the Gwalior bench of the High Court put stringent restrictions on physical campaigning by candidates for the assembly by-elections in Madhya Pradesh in view of the pandemic.
The high court said political parties will have to get permission from the District Collector to hold mass gatherings and a certificate from the poll panel that virtual campaigning was not possible.
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Besides, the political party will have to deposit money for procuring masks and sanitisers for the people who would take part in the gatherings.
The poll panel has assailed the HC order saying that the conduct and management of elections are overseen by it under the Constitution and Article 329 of the Constitution puts an express bar on judicial interference in midst of the electoral process.
The plea said that the poll panel's COVID-19 guidelines on election rallies or meetings were formulated on September 25 in the exercise of its powers.
As per guidelines and the standard operating procedure of the state government, political gatherings of over 100 people with safety measures can be allowed, it said.
Twenty-five seats in Madhya Pradesh legislative assembly fell vacant after the defection of 22 Congress MLAs and the deaths of three sitting legislators.
(with inputs from agencies)
