The Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines issued by the

Election Commission of India The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a constitutional body established by Constitution of India, the Constitution of the Republic of India empowered to conduct free and fair elections in the Republic of India. It is headed by a Chief Ele ...

for the conduct of

political parties A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

and

candidate A candidate, or nominee, is a prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position. For example, one can be a candidate for membership in a group (sociology), group or election to an offic ...

s during

election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...

s. It is a set of norms which deal with matters including meetings, processions, election manifestos, polling and general conduct. It has been evolved with the consensus of political parties and helps to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections. The Model

Code of Conduct A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the social norm, norms, rules, and responsibilities or proper practices of an individual party or an organization. Companies' codes of conduct A company code of conduct is a set of rules which is comm ...

comes into force immediately on the announcement of the election schedule and remains in force till the end of the electoral process.

History

The birth of the Model Code of Conduct dates back to the Assembly elections of Kerala in 1960, during which the State administration drafted a 'Code of Conduct' for political actors. It was subsequently circulated by the

to all recognized

and State governments during the Lok Sabha elections of 1962, and it was wholeheartedly followed. It was the year 1991 when the Election Commission decided to make more stringent use of the Model Code of Conduct following repeated election norms violation and continued corruption.

Structure and features

The model code of conduct consists of seven sections which deal with general conduct, meetings, processions, party in power, polling booth, polling day and election manifestos. ;General conduct The section deals with general set of guidelines to be followed by the parties and candidates during the election process. It prohibits any discrimination, speeches or any references based on religion and refrains candidates or parties from criticizing others based on their personal private life or unsubstantiated allegations. The section bans all activities against law such as bribing, intimidation, impersonation etc. Parties shall also not create disturbances to other parties or candidates while campaigning. ;Meetings The section deals with the conduct of meetings. Meetings shall be conducted with prior permission from

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

agencies. It directs that any such guidelines and rules laid down by the law enforcement agencies shall be adhered to and permissions obtained from other governmental agencies if required such as for the use of loud speakers. ;Procession Processions organized by political parties shall be conducted with requisite permissions after communication of the required details such as time and place. The parties shall adhere to the plan approved and should not cause any hindrance to traffic or general public. It also bans the usage of undesirable articles and elements and activities such as burning of effigies by people participating in the processions. ;Polling day The section deals with general set of guidelines to be followed by the parties and candidates during the polling day. Political parties and candidates are expected to co-operate with the officials to ensure fair and free conduct of elections. It refrains parties from disturbing the votes or polling process and bans the usage of party symbols, propaganda material and

liquor Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through ethanol fermentation, alcoholic ferm ...

near the polling booths. ;Polling Booth Any grievances shall be taken up only with the observer appointed by the Election Commission. ;Party in Power The government or its constituents shall not exert influence on the election process. It also prescribes that official work and campaigning shall be kept separate and no official machinery should be used for campaigning. It also prohibits government from spending public money for propaganda. No schemes or grants should be launched by ministers directly or indirectly through authorities and no appointments/changes shall be made with respect to government personnel with a view to exert undue influence. ;Election Manifestos The manifesto shall not contain any promises construed as against the law and the constitution. It also prohibits the release of manifestations in the period prescribed by the Election Commission.

References

{{Reflist Elections in India Codes of conduct Election campaign law