Violation of Model Code of Conduct and Laws Relating to it.
The Election Commission of India has set in motion the process of elections in 5 states of India namely Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The election dates are announced from 10th February 2022 to 7th March 2022. In these elections crores of voters are going to decide the fate of these 5 states. The Election Commission of India has imposed Model Code of Conduct in these 5 states for conduction of free and fair elections. These laws and guidelines are there to ensure that no candidate or party engages in unfair practices and all of them get a fair chance to campaign. On the other hand, these guidelines also ensures that the voter is able to exercise his right to vote in a conducive environment free from fear, undue influence, coercion and greed.
All the candidates, their supporters and the voters are expected to abide by the model code of conduct and any violation of the same may result in temporary ban from campaigning, termination of nomination and can even lead to registration of FIR against the violator. The offences relating to elections are given in Chapter 9A of Indian Penal Code, 1860 which includes section 171 A to 171 I. In addition to this penal provisions of Representation of the People Act, 1951 may be attracted. You can learn more about this from watching this video:
This time the elections are taking place at such a critical time when Omicron Variant of Covid 19 is rampaging through the country. Most of the states are currently experiencing Omicron peaks. The election rallies and campaign are likely to further deteriorate the situation and for this there are additional guidelines imposed by Election Commission of India, State and Central Government. The violation of these may lead to separate legal actions, which can be understood more clearly by watching this video: