'Don't Campaign On Religious, Caste Lines': Election Commission's Unprecedented Warning To BJP, Congress

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: The Election Commission today took an unprecedented step as it warned the two biggest parties - the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress - asking the parties to maintain poll decorum amid the ongoing Lok Sabha Election campaign. The poll body asked both parties to desist from campaigning along caste, community, language, and religious lines. However, the Election Commission's stern warning came after five phases of polling were complete and only 114 seats were left to go for voting in phases 6 and 7.

In a rare warning, the EC said that India's socio-cultural milieu cannot be made a casualty of elections and both parties should be mindful of it. The Election Commission has warned both the Congress and the BJP leaders while rejecting their defences in response to the EC notices sent to them.

EC's Warning To BJP

The poll body also rejected the BJP's defence in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's alleged divisive speech made nearly a month ago in Rajasthan's Banswara. The Congress had moved the ED against the PM's speech. The poll watchdog asked the BJP and its leaders to desist from campaigning on religious and communal lines. The poll body warned the BJP against campaign speeches that may divide society.

Poll Body's Message To Congress

Since the Election Commission had earlier issued a similar notice to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress had replied to the poll body's notice on the complaints of the BJP. The EC rejected Kharge's defence of Rahul Gandhi's speech and asked Congress not to politicise defence forces and make potentially divisive statements regarding the socio-economic composition of the armed forces.

The Election Commission also asked the Congress to ensure that its star campaigners and candidates do not make statements which give false impression that the Constitution may be abolished or sold. The EC asked the presidents of the two national parties to issue formal notes to their star campaigners to correct their discourse, exercise care and maintain decorum.

With the Lok Sabha poll campaignin entering the second phase on April 20, the BJP and the Congress leaders made several poll speeches on religious and caste lines, which drew the poll body's attention.