Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal on Sunday said that in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India under the Model Code of Conduct regarding election manifestos, the relevant political parties or candidates contesting elections must submit three copies each in Hindi and English to the Chief Electoral Officer’s office within three days of the date of issuing their election manifesto.
He urged all political parties to thoroughly study all aspects of the Model Code of Conduct issued by the Election Commission and to ensure its complete compliance during the elections.
He emphasized that, according to Para-8, sub-clause (iii) of the Model Code of Conduct, in the interest of transparency, equal opportunity, and the credibility of promises, it is expected that the election manifesto should also reflect the justification of promises and primarily outline the methods and means to fulfill the financial requirements for this purpose. Moreover, voters' trust should be placed only in those promises whose fulfillment is feasible.
The CEO also clarified that in the case of a single-phase election, the manifesto will not be issued during the prohibition period as determined under Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
