SHILLONG: Thanks to strict rules of the Election Commission of India, with just three days to end the campaigns for both Shillong and Tura seats, unlike in the past, various initiatives of the Election Department are dominating the poll scene, rather than campaigns of the candidates.
While Meghalaya will go to polls on Wednesday next, the campaign will end on Monday.
There is a call to re-think on the strict model code which does not give enough freedom for the candidates to take up several initiatives to woo the voters.
In the name of paid news, the candidates and the media are restricted to air several issues of importance, resulting in monotony in election campaign.
UDP candidate Paul Lyngdoh, in a recent interview to The Shillong Times, had said that election has turned out to be a military parade due to several restrictions.
“Election Commission wants the polls to be a ‘dance of democracy,’ but they are imposing so many rules that it is not possible to dance freely any longer. If you lay down in a dance by how much you can raise your arms and how much you can gyrate, then it is no longer a dance but a military parade”, Lyngdoh had said.
Contrary to the previous elections, due to the pre-certification demand of the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee as far as the political advertisements are concerned, many political parties in Meghalaya have abstained from floating advertisements in the media in Meghalaya.
“Self censorship is the need of the hour, than somebody imposing restrictions”, said a leader of a prominent political party.
There are not many posters, banners or graffiti of the political parties and their candidates in parts of city.
At a time when there is no visibility of the activities of the candidates, several initiatives of Election Department are dominating, like kite flying, graffiti and release of musical albums.
BJP state general secretary Dipayan Chakraborty said that compared to several states in the rest of the country, there was too much restriction in Meghalaya.
“If I put up a party flag in my house, and several flags in my vehicle, there is restriction in the name of model code of conduct, but every individual has the freedom to support his or her party of choice” Chakraborty said.
According to Chakraborty, in a democratic country, too many restrictions were undemocratic as the country ultimately stood for the people and not for stringent rules.
The BJP leader said that the Election Department could concentrate more on how to check money power rather than checking who was putting party flags.
He, however, appreciated the efforts of the Election Department to woo voters in large numbers through innovative methods and added that the video recording of the speeches of the candidates is also a good step.
An official with the Election Department said, however, that the model code of conduct was meant to ensure a free and fair election and not to restrict the freedom of individuals.
