Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Acting tough against the violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) guidelines, the authorities in Srinagar placed a government employee under suspension on Thursday. The order issued in this regard stated “One government employee namely Javid Ahmad Sofi working in SKICC has been found violating the MCC guidelines by participating in and facilitating the political party meetings”.
The order further stated that the said employee had been placed under suspension with immediate effect.
It is noteworthy that the Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India to provide a level playing field for all political parties.
The Model Code of Conduct comes into force from the day and time the election schedule is announced by the Election Commission of India and remains in operation till the completion of the election process as per the election notification.
District Election Officer, Srinagar, Dr Bilal Mohi ud Din has issued instructions for strict adherence to the Model Code of Conduct and dealing strictly with any violation by any employee which comes to the notice of the authorities.
Notably, the elections to the five seats in Jammu and Kashmir, barring the Union Territory of Ladakh, which will poll separately on May 20; will be held across five phases, with Udhampur going first on Friday.
Also, crucially, the elections to the Lok Sabha on Friday will be the first since the passage of two key legislations–the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023–in Parliament. In the 2019 elections, the BJP won three seats while the National Conference won the remaining three.
