Background:
- On January 10, a 14-member committee set up by the ECgave recommendation in this regard.
- It had recommended an amendment under Part VIII (Guidelines on Election Manifestos) of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) “to fix a timeline, by way of an outer time limit, for the release of manifesto by political parties in an election, to maintain the sanctity of Section 126” of the Representation of the People Act.
Section 126 of RPA
- Section 126 of the Act embodies “election silence”, which prohibits any form of election campaign in the last 48 hours leading up to voting.
Present Scenario:
- At present, there is no stipulation on the timing of manifesto launch for political parties.
- In 2014, the BJP had released its Lok Sabha manifesto on the day of voting in the first phase.
- The Commission was unable to act then since the MCC is silent on the timing of manifesto release.
Does This Amendment Require Parliament’s Nod?
- As unlike most electoral reforms that require Parliament’s nod, MCC can be amended by the Election Commission itself.
